James Norton has been seen in costume as Beatles manager Brian Epstein for the first time while filming Sam Mendes’s ambitious four-part biopic, with Paul Mescal also spotted on set as Paul McCartney.
Norton, 41, appeared clean-shaven and dressed in a smart three-piece suit for his role as Epstein, who helped transform the group from a Liverpool club act into a global cultural phenomenon despite having no previous experience in artist management.
Epstein was often known as the “fifth Beatle”, and Norton’s appearance closely echoes the manager’s distinctive look. The actor’s casting follows his recent appearance as Mr Claus in an M&S Christmas advert.
The Beatles biopic cast
Mescal, 30, is playing a young McCartney in the production, titled The Beatles: A Four-Film Cinematic Event. Harris Dickinson portrays John Lennon, Joseph Quinn plays George Harrison and Barry Keoghan takes the role of Ringo Starr.
Each film will tell the story from the perspective of a different band member, tracing the group’s rise from unknowns in early-1960s Liverpool to becoming the world’s biggest band before their break-up in 1970.
The project marks the first time that surviving Beatles McCartney and Starr, together with the families of Lennon and Harrison, have given permission for feature films about the band.
The ensemble also includes Aimee Lou Wood as George Harrison’s model wife Pattie Boyd, Anna Sawai as Yoko Ono and Mia McKenna-Bruce as Ringo Starr’s first wife, Maureen Starkey. Harry Lloyd plays George Martin, the producer who also became known as the “fifth Beatle”.
All four films are due to be released simultaneously in 2028, in what has been described as the first “bingeable theatrical experience”.
Abbey Road crossing recreated
During filming over the summer, the four actors playing the Beatles recreated the famous zebra-crossing scene associated with the band’s Abbey Road album.
The original cover photograph was taken by Scottish photographer Iain Macmillan, a close friend of Lennon, who balanced on a ladder in the middle of the north London road and had just ten minutes to capture the image.
Mendes had wanted to recreate the 1969 cover. It was reported that Westminster council would not allow filming at the location, but the council later confirmed that filming would go ahead while working with the production teams to facilitate it.
