Gladiator II helmer Ridley Scott has confirmed a long-standing rumour about Paul Mescal appearing in one of the four-part ‘The Beatles’ biopic movie series, announced by filmmaker Sam Mendes earlier this year. Speculation about the on-screen Lucius Verus portraying Paul McCartney in Mendes’ upcoming biopic has been circulating widely in recent weeks.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan, the brilliant mind behind Oppenheimer, asked Scott whether Mescal would star in Scott’s next project, The Dog Stars. This upcoming post-apocalyptic thriller is an official feature adaptation of Peter Heller’s novel. While expressing his desire to cast Mescal in the project, Scott acknowledged the actor’s tight filming schedule and inadvertently revealed that Mescal would be doing The Beatles biopic next. Scott said:
“Maybe. Paul is actually stacked up, doing the Beatles next. So I may have to let him go.”
Sony Pictures has yet to officially confirm Mescal’s role in the forthcoming four-part biopic, with each entry focusing on a different member of the legendary English rock band: Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and John Lennon. All films are slated for theatrical release.
According to The Guardian, both McCartney and Starr are producing the project, alongside the heirs of John Lennon’s and George Harrison’s estates. Additionally, rumours suggest that Saltburn star Barry Keoghan may be cast as Starr in The Beatles biopic. Stay tuned for further updates.