Ringo Starr doesn’t want Barry Keoghan to take too many drum lessons.
Keoghan is expected to play the drummer in the Starr-focused part of Sam Mendes’ four-part Beatles biopic. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Ringo talked about the casting rumors, “I think he’s great, I believe he’s somewhere taking drum lessons. I hope not too many.”
While Starr’s comment adds some truth to the recent Keoghan rumors, another source didn’t confirm the casting. They told Rolling Stone that no deals have been made with any actors.
If Keoghan does play Ringo, it would be the biggest role of his career. The Irish actor starred in ‘Saltburn’ last year and will co-star with Cillian Murphy in the upcoming ‘Peaky Blinders’ film on Netflix.
Sony Pictures has decided to make four separate films, each focusing on a different Beatles member, instead of a single biopic. Director Sam Mendes will direct all four. The films are set to release in 2027.
“I’m honored to be telling the story of the greatest rock band of all time, and excited to challenge the notion of what constitutes a trip to the movies,” Mendes shared in a statement back in February.
John Lennon’s son Sean Ono Lennon also shared his thoughts on the upcoming biopics in May. He noted, “I’m not much of a filmmaker – I guess I am now – but I do think with someone as famous as my dad, it’s very hard to cast a film like that.”
“So, you can pull it off, and I think we’re going to do a good job, so I’m excited,” he said by mentioning the success of 2007’s ‘La Vie en Rose’ and 2004’s ‘Ray.’
It’s rumored that ‘Gladiator II’ star Paul Mescal will play Paul McCartney. The actor recently told GQ, “I would love to be involved, but there’s nothing set in stone.”
Harris Dickinson is also rumored to be playing John Lennon. He shared with Dazed, “There’s nothing I can say about that. It might not be true, it might be, I don’t know … there’s a speculation culture.”
Beatlemania is still strong 50 years after the band broke up. The Beatles got a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year for ‘Now and Then,’ a song made using AI to bring out John Lennon’s vocals from a 1970s demo. It’s called the last Beatles song.
