Four Beatles films are set to be announced, with some big names taking on the roles of band members Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison and John Lennon – but already fans of the superstars are saying that they are “refusing to watch” because of one thing.
The “four-film cinematic event” will see interconnected movies land in cinemas later this year – one film from the perspective of each of the Beatles’ band members. The cast for the Sam Mendes project was revealed at the CinemaCon event in Las Vegas with Saltburn star Barry Keoghan taking on the role of Ringo, Paul Mescal as Paul, Harris Dickinson as John and Joseph Quinn as George.
The films are all set to be released “in proximity” to each other in April 2028. Creator Sam Mendes told the industry audience at CinemaCon there is “still plenty to explore” despite the Beatles’ rise having being well chronicled.
Many fans are delighted with the excitement, with the stellar line up for the cast. However, others have already said that they will not be watching – with Barry Keoghan tackling a Scouse accent as the reason.
The 32-year-old star took on the role of Saltburn’s Oliver back in 2023, with his family living in Prescot – a Merseyside town on the outskirts of Liverpool. Because of this, the Irish-born actor had to adopt a Scouse accent, but it did not go down too well with viewers – despite his chilling performance landing him nominations for a Golden Globe and BAFTA Award for Best Actor.
Now, with the announcement of the Beatles biopics, the star’s accent skills have come under fire once more. Posting to X/Twitter, one fan said: “I hope Barry Keoghan has improved his scouse accent since Saltburn.”
Another added: “I refuse to watch Barry Keoghan butcher a Scouse accent again,” while a third echoed: “These films should have had the intention of having us feel the same way the teens felt in the 60s when they first saw the Beatles but instead we’ll be forced to watch Barry Keoghan butcher a Scouse accent [crying emoji].”
However, others thought that it was a brilliant casting, with one fan writing: “Say what you want about the other 3 guys resembling the Beatles, but people are being wilfully obtuse about Barry Keoghan. He looks more like Ringo than Ringo does.”