Beatles Biopic Costumes Cause Chaos Behind the Scenes: ‘More Like the Drab Four Than the Fab Four’

Sony’s four-movie Beatles biopic is fully in production and is being hyped up in earnest with new imagery being teased from the UK sets and locations.

However, a source connected to the project tells Closer that it’s far from smooth sailing behind the scenes of the films, which will star Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr.

“The reaction to the first still photos of the actors in costume as the Beatles has not been what Sony hoped for, and it’s required a re-think around marketing plans for these movies at Sony Pictures HQ,” the source says.

The lukewarm fan response is only a “only a minor speed bump,” clarifies the source, because there’s still quite a bit of time before they’re expected to release in April 2028.

“There’s tons more shooting to go and putting out a great trailer can erase almost all marketing missteps that came before it,” the source continues. “That said, nobody outside Sony thinks these guys are the spitting image of the real life Beatles in the late 60s.”

Instead, the source says they look “a lot more like the Drab Four than the Fab Four.”

However, this isn’t the first time a biopic has run into issues with the stars not looking like the celebs they’re portraying.

“The first still photo of Daniel Craig as James Bond released back in 2005 was hated by fans, only for Daniel to eventually emerge as the definitive actor for the role,” the source says. “And even though Michael Fassbender looked nothing like Steve Jobs when he played him in a movie, he still managed to get an Oscar nomination for that role.”

In the end, it’s the “finished films” that are going to “matter” and Sony is going to let director Sam Mendes “cook.”

“Sam has a giant ego, but he’s also supremely confident that when all is said and done, these movies are going to make a ton of money,” the source adds.

Still, the studio appears to be taking a more cautious approach behind the scenes.

“Sony, in conjunction with the Beatles-controlled Apple Corps, is in the process of re-evaluating their publicity strategy,” the source reveals.

“The belief is that if they’re a little more transparent about the filming process going forward, they can pick up more public goodwill in the process,” adds the source. “That’s a lot easier said than done.”

“Beatles fans can be cranky and overly critical about every little thing,” notes the source, “and these films are going to be no exception to that rule.”