Many Beatles fans anxiously awaiting the four scripted biopics Sam Mendes is directing about each member of the Fab Four that are scheduled to premiere in April 2028. Now, in a recent interview with the syndicated ABC show On the Red Carpet, Ringo Starr admitted that he’s also pretty excited about the movies.
As previously reported, the project is titled, collectively, The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event. Starring in the movies will be Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Starr.
[RELATED: Ringo Starr’s First Four Solo Albums Getting Reissued on Limited-Edition Colored Vinyl]
“The whole thing is mad,” Ringo told On the Red Carpet’s George Pennacchio. “Mendes is] making four movies at the same time. And there’s got to be a lot of interwoven [segments]. Like John will be in mine and I’ll be in Paul’s, and George and John will be in another scene in mine. Whatever. I don’t know how he’s gonna do it, but I loved the idea.”
Starr also revealed that he spent time with Keoghan, who has been learning how to play drums for the role. The 33-year-old Irish actor received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for the 2023 film The Banshees of Inisherin. His other credits include Dunkirk, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and Saltburn.
“I invited [Barry] to the house when he was in L.A., and he was so great to hang out with,” Ringo said. “But I did tell him, ‘I know you’re having drum lessons, but don’t have too many.’ … I tell everybody that. … Not too many, ’cause then you become the machine, where you need to come through.”
Starr Also Had Changes Made to the Script for His Biopic
Starr also reported that he spent time with Mendes going over the script of his biopic, and he suggested important changes to make it more accurate.
“I sat with Sam for two days in London, and we went through it,” Ringo noted. “And he was so great, ’cause I said, ‘That’s not me. That’s nothing that happened.’ ’Cause he had a writer writing the scripts, trying to make sense of it. But in mine, well, it just wasn’t right. So anyway, we got rid of a few pages, and he was fine about it. That’s what I loved.”
Regarding the project as a whole, Ringo added, “I’m as excited as you to see four movies, and the crossovers.”
More Recent Starr News
Starr is now working on a follow-up to his 2025 solo country album, Look Up, which was released in January. The new album, which is expected out in 2026, also will be country themed. Like Look Up, Ringo is working on the new album with acclaimed producer/songwriter/musician T Bone Burnett.
Starr has revealed that the record will include an as-yet-unidentified cover of a Carl Perkins song.
In other news, limited-edition colored-vinyl versions of Ringo’s first four solo albums were released on October 24. The albums are Sentimental Journey (1970), Beaucoups of Blues (1970), Ringo (1973), and Goodnight Vienna (1974).
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for ABA)