Wait, is the Beatles movie casting actually an elaborate April Fool's prank?

(Image credit: Sony Pictures)

published 1 April 2025

The buzziest casting announcement just happened: Barry Keoghan and Paul Mescal are reportedly part of the lineup for an upcoming movie series on The Beatles. In a press release on 1st April 2025, Sony confirmed to Marie Claire UK that the two Irish actors would be appearing in the four-film series alongside Harris Dickinson and Joseph Quinn. According to the release, Harris will play John Lennon, Paul will play his namesake Paul McCartney, Barry will be Ringo Starr, and Joseph will portray George Harrison.

An official photo of the four stars has also been released. Meanwhile, the press release included the disclaimer: "Credits not final."

Although it elicited an excited initial reaction from the four actors' fans, the timing of this announcement is also raising eyebrows: could it be an April Fool's joke? If so, our poor fragile hearts would be shattered. Anyway, let's investigate.

While the announcement has made it into most media outlets on 1st April, Deadline did publish an announcement on Monday 31st March. The publication reported that director Sam Mendes had confirmed the casting at Sony's CinemaCon, and had also provided details on the upcoming films, which are set for simultaneous release in April 2028.

Some fans are convinced that the 31st March announcement could be an elaborate ruse to make the April Fool's joke more plausible. When Sony Pictures posted a photo of the four actors on Instagram (on 1st April), people were quick to speculate. "Is this an April fools joke please say yes" wrote one person.

"Hey so feel free to tell us this is an April fool's joke at any time!" said someone else.

"Probably not smart to post this on April 1st…" remarked a third fan.

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We reached out to a representative from Sony for comment on this developing story, and did not receive a response at the time of writing. But it's worth noting that while the casting is still causing doubt online, in February 2024 Deadline reported that Sam Mendes had partnered with Sony and Apple Corps on a four-film series, each of which would centre on one of the Beatles. This information aligns with what Sam reiterated at CinemaCon.

So, elaborate April Fool's or perfectly timed announcement? Either way - everyone is talking about it.

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Iris Goldsztajn is a celebrity and royal news writer for Marie Claire. As a London-based freelance journalist, she writes about wellness, relationships, pop culture, beauty and more for the likes of InStyle, Women's Health, Bustle, Stylist and Red. Aside from her quasi-personal investment in celebs' comings and goings, Iris is especially interested in debunking diet culture and destigmatising mental health struggles. Previously, she was the associate editor for Her Campus, where she oversaw the style and beauty news sections, as well as producing gift guides, personal essays and celebrity interviews. There, she worked remotely from Los Angeles, after returning from a three-month stint as an editorial intern for Cosmopolitan.com in New York. As an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles, she interned at goop and C California Style and served as Her Campus' national style and LGBTQ+ editor. Iris was born and raised in France by a French father and an English mother. Her Spotify Wrapped is riddled with country music and One Direction, and she can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.

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