Actor Richard E Grant has praised Barry Keoghan, his Saltburn co-star, saying he will be a “fantastic Ringo Starr” in the new Beatles biopics. Sony Pictures has announced a collection of four films about the band members, with Keoghan cast as drummer Sir Ringo Starr.
Speaking on The One Show, Grant praised the 32-year-old Irish actor who he worked with in the 2023 Emerald Fennell thriller. Grant said: “He’s an extraordinary actor. He’s unlike anybody else I’ve ever, ever worked with before, so completely untrained, instinctive and brilliant. I think he’ll be a fantastic Ringo Starr.”
Directed by Sir Sam Mendes, each of the movies will showcase one of the members of the Fab Four: John Lennon, Sir Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Sir Ringo.
Keoghan is best known for his roles in The Killing Of A Sacred Deer and The Banshees Of Inisherin, the latter winning his the Bafta for best supporting actor in 2023.
A scene from Saltburn showing his character – an Oxford University student who gets wrapped up in the charming and aristocratic world of his classmate – dancing naked around a country manor to Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Murder On The Dancefloor went viral.
The cast for the Beatles films also includes Normal People’s Paul Mescal, who will play Sir Paul, while Lennon will be portrayed by Babygirl actor Harris Dickinson.
Mescal’s Gladiator II co-star Joseph Quinn has been cast as Harrison. The films are expected to be released in April 2028.
Speaking at the CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas on Monday, which the cast also attended, Sir Sam called the films the “first binge-able theatrical experience”. He added that he has been “trying to make a story about The Beatles for years.”
The new and exciting project marks the first time Apple Corps Ltd and The Beatles – Sir Paul, Sir Ringo, and the families of Lennon and Harrison – have granted full life story and music rights for a scripted film.
Sir Ringo has previously spoken about the biopic, on Entertainment Tonight he said: “I believe he’s somewhere taking drum lessons, and I hope not too many”, letting slip that Saltburn star Keoghan had taken on the role.
When Sir Ridley Scott was promoting his second Roman epic Gladiator II last year, he revealed Mescal was joining the Beatles project, telling an industry event that the actor was “actually stacked up, doing the Beatles next” so he may not be able to join him on his next film.
Previous films about the Beatles include Nowhere Boy, about Lennon growing up in Liverpool, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson. The Beatles themselves starred in a number of movies during the incredible careers.
Formed in 1960, The Beatles are the best-selling musical act of all time and one of the most influential groups in the world, having achieved 18 UK number one singles and 16 UK number one albums.