Paul Mescal has almost certainly been cast in the upcoming biopic of The Beatles.
That’s what director Ridley Scott said at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles following a screening of Scott’s latest release, Gladiator II, which Mescal stars in.
The filmmaker was asked whether Mescal would star in Scott’s next film, The Dog Stars. “Yes,” Scott said before adding, “Maybe. Paul is actually stacked up, doing the Beatles next. So I may have to let him go.”
Paul Mescal attends the “Gladiator II” New York Special Screening hosted by GQ and Paramount Pictures at The Whitby Hotel on November 20, 2024, in New York, New York.
Photo by John Nacion/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures
Scott may have jumped the gun with his comments given the studio has yet to confirm any of the cast members. Mescal, though, has been linked with the film for months, strongly rumored to play singer/songwriter Paul McCartney.
Directed by Sam Mendes (Skyfall, Spectre), The Beatles biopic actually consists of four feature-length films. Each one centres on a different member of the band: McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Where Scott may have accidentally given away the name of one of the leads, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr seemingly revealed another: Barry Keoghan. Last month, Starr told Entertainment Tonight the Saltburn actor is playing him in the films, and that Keoghan has been taking drum lessons to better emulate Starr’s style.
“I think it’s great,” Starr said on Keoghan’s rumored casting. “I believe he’s somewhere taking drum lessons and I hope not too many.”
In terms of the remaining members of The Beatles, there are rumors Harris Dickinson is up for the role of John Lennon, while Joseph Quinn has been linked with the role of George Harrison.