Saoirse Ronan, Anna Sawai, Aimee Lou Wood, and Mia McKenna-Bruce have officially joined the ensemble cast of
The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event,
portraying the wives of the legendary band members during the 1960s. Ronan will take on the role of Linda McCartney, while Sawai, Wood, and McKenna-Bruce will play Yoko Ono, Pattie Boyd, and Maureen Starkey, respectively. This announcement comes as their contracts were finalized this week, with Sony Pictures making the casting public.
Director Sam Mendes Highlights the Importance of These Roles
Sam Mendes, the director overseeing this ambitious cinematic portrayal of the Beatles, praised the significance of these four women associated with the band. He stated,
“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,”
highlighting the talent assembled for the project.
Four Films Offer Distinct Views on Beatles’ Rise and Fall
The project consists of four separate films, each focusing on one Beatle’s perspective—John Lennon portrayed by Harris Dickinson, Paul McCartney by Paul Mescal, George Harrison by Joseph Quinn, and Ringo Starr by Barry Keoghan. The story traces their journey from hopeful musicians in Liverpool during the early 1960s to global superstars, culminating in their split in 1970. Notably, this is the first time the Beatles and their heirs have authorized the rights to their music and personal stories for a theatrical film series.
Backgrounds of the Women Portrayed
Linda Eastman, who married Paul McCartney in 1969, is known for her photography career and her role in McCartney’s band Wings after the Beatles disbanded. They remained married until her death from breast cancer in 1998.
Yoko Ono and John Lennon met through the London art scene in 1966. Despite Lennon’s marriage to Cynthia Powell at the time, his relationship with Ono led to their divorce in 1968, and Lennon and Ono married in 1969.
Pattie Boyd, a model who met George Harrison while filming the Beatles’ 1964 movie A Hard Day’s Night, was married to Harrison from 1966 to 1977. She later married Eric Clapton from 1979 to 1989. Boyd expressed hope to meet her on-screen counterpart Aimee Lou Wood, posting on social media,
at some point in the future.
Maureen Starkey (née Cox) began dating Ringo Starr in 1962 when she was a young hairdresser. They married in 1965 and had three children before divorcing in 1975; she passed away from leukemia in 1994.
Actors’ Previous Achievements and Upcoming Projects
Saoirse Ronan, a four-time Academy Award nominee, will next appear in the dark comedy Bad Apples. Anna Sawai recently earned an Emmy Award for her role in the FX series Shogun and is set to appear in Season 2 of Apple TV’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Aimee Lou Wood gained recognition on Netflix’s Sex Education and was nominated for an Emmy for her role in HBO’s The White Lotus Season 3. Mia McKenna-Bruce won the BAFTA Rising Star Award and British Independent Film Award for the 2023 film How to Have Sex, and she is slated to star alongside Natalie Dormer in the upcoming British miniseries The Lady.
Industry Representation and Final Notes
The actors are represented by leading talent agencies: Ronan by CAA; Sawai by WME, 42, United Agents, and Chris Abramson; Wood by CAA, Independent, and Sloane, Offer, Weber, Dern; and McKenna-Bruce by UTA, 42, and Luber Roklin. With the participation of these acclaimed performers, the project promises a detailed, intimate look at the lives intertwined with the Beatles’ legacy.
As the first authorized cinematic exploration of the Beatles’ personal and professional lives, this four-part film event could significantly impact how future generations understand the band’s history, their relationships, and their musical influence, while offering a fresh perspective on the women who played pivotal roles in the band’s story.
