Saoirse Ronan has joined the ranks of the Beatles biopic cast, in which she’ll be portraying the late Linda McCartney.
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Sam Mendes is making four upcoming Beatles films – each focusing on one member of the Fab Four – and earlier this year, it was revealed that the legendary band will be portrayed by Harris Dickinson, Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan and Joseph Quinn.
Dickinson will play John Lennon, Mescal will portray Paul McCartney, Keoghan will play Ringo Starr and Quinn will play George Harrison. Now, per a Deadline report, multiple-time Oscar nominee Ronan has inked a deal to star in the four-part documentary film series as Macca’s late wife Linda McCartney.
While Ronan’s interpretation of Linda is expected to feature heavily in the instalment that will center around Paul McCartney, it is currently unknown if she will appear in the three remaining films.
The film franchise is being titled The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event, with all four films due to arrive in April 2028, though not at the same time. While director Mendes has yet to announce the order in which the films will release, each week of April 2028 will see the launch of one of the four films, marking the first “bingeable moment in cinema”.
Linda McCartney – born Linda Louise Eastman – died after a battle with breast cancer on April 17, 1998. She was 56 years old. Linda was a celebrated photographer, musician and animal rights activist. As a photographer, she rose to prominence in the 1960s through her portraiture of The Rolling Stones, The Doors and Jimi Hendrix. She also made history as the first female photographer to have her work featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
Linda McCartney was also an advocate for vegetarianism and animal welfare, she launched her own company, Linda McCartney Foods, in 1991. Paul and Linda tied the knot in March 1969 in London and had three children together – Mary, Stella, and James.
They famously released the album ‘Ram’ together in 1971 and formed the band Wings in the same year. The couple were also nominated for an Oscar for their song ‘Live And Let Die’, the theme tune for the 1973 Bond film of the same name.
While little else has been revealed of the film franchise so far, Paul Mescal has revealed he will be doing his own singing in the forthcoming biopics, and that he has spent time with McCartney himself.
In May, Mescal’s cast mate, Barry Keoghan, discussed meeting Ringo Starr prior to playing the drummer in the films. Describing his nerves at meeting the legend, the Irishman said: “When I was talking to him, I couldn’t look at him. I was nervous, like right now. But he’s like, ‘You can look at me,’” he recalled. “My job is to observe and kinda take in mannerisms and study him. I want to humanise him and bring feelings to it and not just sort of imitate.”
In July, Ringo confirmed that he had asked Sam Mendes to rework and rewrite several parts of the forthcoming biopics: “He had a writer — very good writer, great reputation, and he wrote it great, but it had nothing to do with Maureen and I. That’s not how we were. I’d say, ‘We would never do that.’” Ringo is reportedly happy with the edits made after his suggestions.
However, not every casting has been met with approval. Lennon’s sister Julia Baird spoke in April about Dickinson playing her late brother, saying she believed a Liverpudlian actor should play him. “No one else can get that Liverpool intonation,” she said, “nobody”.
