History repeats itself only if you initiate the repetition. That is the case when it comes to biopics—films that try to retell the stories of some of the most legendary artists, actors, and musicians. Recently, there has been a spike in the number of musician-based biopics released, and as KSDT’s self-appointed cinephile, there is a lot that needs to be said and addressed about this trend. 

With the recent release of the casting for Sony’s four-film Beatles biopic (set to release in 2028), there is a lot to speculate and call out. Firstly, the very controversial casting. Off the top of my head, I can only loosely validate Harris Dickinson’s casting as John Lennon (the lips and nose), but I’m still very iffy…WHAT IS IT WITH EVERYONE ELSE?! First of all, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr is audacious. The only connection I can see between the two would be their shared trait of leaving their baby mamas in Europe to care for their children as they live life in America. 

Then we have Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney. Unlike Keoghan and Dickinson, I am well aware of Mescal’s musical talents (thank you, Phoebe Bridgers), but the angsty, Roman-featured, laid-back cool guy that Mescal is, is so far from the person McCartney is. Of course, McCartney was cool and a rockstar, but he’s also a detail-oriented visionary and a pioneer of pop in a time when pop was “granny music” as John Lennon would say.

(Left to Right) The Beatles and The Beatles biopic cast

Lastly, and most painfully, Eddie Munson… Daisy Edgar Jones? (ifykyk) Joseph Quinn as George Harrison. What hurts the most about this casting would be the excitement I, and many others, had for the anticipation that Charlie Rowe would take on the role of the hot, sexy, beautiful, chiseled, awesome mustache man, Harrison. To see Quinn, someone who strayed so far from our expectations, was very disappointing. 

All this being said, it feels like Sony searched up “#whiteboyofthemonth” on TikTok, saw Harris Dickinson, Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan, and Joseph Quinn, and decided to cast them as the Fab Four. By this logic, I just need to become trendy on TikTok so I can play Yoko Ono. Jokes! In reality, seeing how inaccurate these castings are, Scarlett Johansson is locked in as Ono.

The film industry, like any powerful force in the world of entertainment, is controversial. Whether they are dramatizing or censoring the life of a dead musician, the truth rarely matters to these people, because the end goal will always be the check. There are some exceptions. For example: Rocketman and A Complete Unknown. However, these mentions are technically cheating, because Elton John and Bob Dylan were indeed alive for the creation of these films and were heavily involved. Sadly, not all biopics have the luxury of having the real person guide the creators towards an authentic cinematic counterpart.

Aside from the casting, Sony itself holds a lot of responsibility for how these films play out. In short; I am expecting four rated R films. In Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), I was stoked to see Rami Malek cast as Freddie Mercury, however… Why was it PG-13? Fox took the chaotic and raw, rock star life of Freddie Mercury and created a feel-good film about a found family. Enough censorship! Bring out the problematic trends of the 60s, emphasize the controversies, and spotlight the flaws of the revered band that the Beatles are known to be. Therefore, in these four films, I am anticipating depictions of the bandmate’s addictions, their scandals, and their fair share of toxic relationships. Every single flaw of the Fab Four, I would like to see in IMAX. Despite the stature of the Beatles, they were still male rock stars in the ’60s, and the lives they lived were definitely not PG-13. Also, another thing: no AI, please. 

The Beatles biopic cast

To me, biopics have the power and potential to uplift low-profile actors to tell the story of how legends rose to their fame, and that’s exactly what Sony is not doing. But, who knows? Maybe they’ll produce four features on par with A Complete Unknown, because when Timothée Chalamet was revealed to be playing Bob Dylan, it’s safe to say I was also disappointed. However, the film itself was much better than I anticipated. I saw the effort Chalamet put into the role and the results of the five years he took to learn guitar and how to sing, but will these four actors devote themselves in the same way? Lastly, speaking of Chalamet as Bob Dylan, Sony, please reprise this role and include the day Bob Dylan introduced the Beatles to weed—it’s the least y’all can do. 

Now, four years from now, when these movies have been released, I will reread this article and reflect on their execution. However, as of right now, I have very low expectations, as I have seen a trend that biopics aim for trendiness over honoring these musicians. But hey, enough with the negativity because “Ob La Di, Ob La Da, life goes on brah.”