Kildare's Paul Mescal tipped for Beatles Biopic role

Kildare's Paul Mescal and fellow Irishman Barry Keoghan are among the early names rumoured to be in the running for a place in The Beatles, as filmmaker Sam Mendes scouts for potential songsters for his four-film biopic of the Liverpool band.  

Stranger Things’ star Joseph Quinn is the early frontrunner for a place in the four-man outfit and has been backed into red-hot odds of 1/5 to play George Harrison ahead of Sex Education’s Asa Butterfield (11/2) after rumours swirled that he had been handpicked by Mendes.  

With three places still up for grabs, Paul Mescal is the early favourite to play Paul McCartney at 1/3 as the Kildare native continues to build a CV littered with Hollywood hits. The Oscar nominated star, who is set to hit our screens this summer in Gladiator II may have to fight for a spot in Mendes’ four-part Beatles bonanza however, with Tom Holland (6/1) and Harry Styles (9/2) both tipped for the role.  

Dublin’s Barry Keoghan has also been rumoured for a role in the film series as Ringo Starr and is now a 1/2 shot to be filming on the streets of Liverpool ahead of Harry Potter turned Broadway star Daniel Radcliffe, who is rated a 14/1 shot to make a shock appearance on the credits. 

Harris Dickinson, who is set to star in the upcoming World War II blockbuster Blitz alongside Saoirse Ronan is the current favourite to play John Lennon at 4/6, ahead of Aaron Taylor-Johnson (8/1) who played the superstar in Nowhere Boy.  

Jacob Elordi (3/1) and self-confessed Beatles fanatic Timothée Chalamet (4/1) are also in the running for a spot among the fab four, while best friends Niall Horan (16/1) and Lewis Capaldi (50/1) are among the outsiders alongside Dhanni Harrison, who is a 50/1 shot to play his father.  

Brian O’Keeffe, spokesperson for BoyleSports, said: “The rumour mill is in full-swing that Sam Mendes is on the brink of announcing his four-man band of actors ahead of the Beatles biopic, and if the money is on the mark, it looks set to include two of Ireland’s hottest exports, Paul Mescal and Barry Keoghan.”