Fans of The Beatles already know which actors will play the Fab Four in Sam Mendes‘ upcoming “The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event.” But now it’s time to announce the quadrilogy’s leading ladies, as in, who will play spouses/muses like Yoko Ono, Linda McCartney, and more.
Sony Pictures broke that news today, and it’s an exciting group of actresses joining the films. Here’s the rundown: Mia McKenna-Bruce stars as Maureen (Cox) Starkey, first wife of Ringo Starr; Saoise Ronan plays Linda (Eastman) McCartney, Paul’s wife; Anna Sawai will be Yoko Ono, John Lennon’s muse; and Aimee Lou Wood plays Pattie Boyd, George Harrison’s wife at the height of the Beatles’ fame.
The four actresses join Harris Dickinson, Paul Mescal, Joseph Quinn, and Barry Keoghan on the massive Mendes project; those actors play Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr, respectively. As for who will play Cynthia Lennon, Brian Epstein, George Martin, Ravi Shankar, and other major roles in the upcoming films, casting remains ongoing and announcements will be made soon.
“Maureen, Linda, Yoko and Pattie are four fascinating and unique figures in their own right – and I’m thrilled that we’ve managed to persuade four of the most talented women working in film today to join this amazing adventure,” Mendes said in a press statement about the castings. Mendes’ project tells the story of The Beatles and their rise to superstardom across four theatrical films, each one focusing on a specific band member.
Jez Butterworth, Peter Straughan, and Jack Thorne will pen the script for all four films for Mendes. “The Beatles—A Four-Film Cinematic Event” is a Neal Street production in association with Apple Corps for Sony Pictures, with Mendes producing with Neal Street partners Pippa Harris and Julie Pastor. Alexandra Derbyshire also produces.
Maureen Starkey is Mckenna-Bruce’s most significant role to date in her young career. The 28-year-old actress broke out thanks to “How To Have Sex,” which won the Un Certain Regard award at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Mckenna-Bruce won the BAFTA Rising Star award and the British Independent Film Award for Best Lead Performance for the film.
As for Ronan, the American-Irish actress needs little introduction. The Golden Globe-winner is coming off of “Bad Apples,” which just had its world premiere at TIFF in September. Other recent work for the “Lady Bird” and “Little Women” actress includes “Blitz” and “The Outrun,” both from last year.
Meanwhile, Sawai’s breakout came in the Hulu drama series “Shogun,” which notched the actress an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress, as well as a Best Actress Golden Globe. She has two other films on the way: David Leitch‘s heist-actioner “How To Rob A Bank,” and A24‘s “Enemies” opposite Jeremy Allen White and Austin Butler.
Best known for her role in Netflix‘s “Sex Education,” in which she won a BAFTA TV award for Best Female Comedy Performance, Wood is coming off of “The White Lotus” Season 3. The actress nabbed an Emmy nod for her work on Mike White‘s HBO show. Other recent work for Wood includes TV shows “Toxic Town” and “Film Club,” with three films on the way: “Anxious People,” “The Idiots,” and “Sweet Dreams.”
Stay tuned for more details about “The Beatles—A Four-Film Cinematic Event.” Sony releases the films in theaters in April 2028.
