Harry Lawtey, Farhan Akhtar, Lucy Boynton and Morfydd Clark are boarding Sony and Neal Street’s The Beatles – A Four Film Cinematic Event from Oscar-winning filmmaker Sam Mendes. The below-the-line team was also announced Thursday, with production currently underway in the UK for an April 2028 theatrical release.

Lawtey, who plays Robert Spearing on HBO’s Industry, will portray Stuart Sutcliffe aka “The Fifth Beatle” and the band’s original bass guitarist who left the band to paint in 1961. His high point with the band was singing “Love Me Tender,” which reportedly rubbed Paul McCartney the wrong way. Sutcliffe created a reputation for playing with his back to the audience, though that has been denied by the group’s first drummer Pete Best.

Akhtar (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag) will play Ravi Shankar, the Indian sitarist and classical musician who had an influence on George Harrison, and the ultimate use of Indian instruments in some of the Beatles’ music.

Boynton is playing British actress Jane Asher, who was McCartney’s fiancée initially, and who served as the inspiration for such Beatles ditties as “And I Love Her,” “We Can Work It Out,” “You Won’t See Me,” “I’m Looking Through You,” “What You’re Doing,” “Things We Said Today” and “For No One.” Asher accompanied the Beatles to Rishikesh in 1968 to attend Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s transcendental meditation training sessions

Clark is Cynthia Lennon, the first wife of John Lennon, and mother of Julian Lennon. They met at a college party but their relationship became undone, first by John’s use of LSD, and second by his love affair with Yoko Ono (Cynthia found letters between the two).

As previously reported, Mendes is making four individual feature films from each of the bandmember’s POV — John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, marking the first time Apple Corps Ltd and the Beatles have granted full life story and music rights for a feature movie. Mendes is directing all four films and producing alongside his Neal Street Productions partner Pippa Harris and Neal Street’s Julie Pastor. Alexandra Derbyshire is also producing.

Behind the camera on Beatles is Oscar–winning cinematographer Greig Fraser (Dune and Dune: Part Two), Oscar–winning editor Lee Smith (Dunkirk, 1917), and production designers Stefania Cella (Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, The Pale Blue Eye), Mark Tildesley (Jay Kelly, Banshees of Inisherin) and Neal Callow (Bob Marley: One Love, Spectre).

In addition there’s BAFTA TV–nominated costume designer Sinéad Kidao (Joy, The Pursuit of Love) and Oscar–nominated hair and makeup designer Naomi Donne (The Batman, 1917). Completing the production team are Grammy- and Emmy-winning executive music producer Giles Martin (The Beatles: Get Back, Back to Black), Oscar-winning sound mixer Stuart Wilson (Project Hail Mary, 1917), BAFTA and Emmy-winning casting director Nina Gold (Hamnet, Wonka), and executive producer/first assistant director Toby Hefferman (F1, The Batman).

In addition to Industry, Lawtey’s other credits include The Pale Blue Eye, Joker: Folie à Deux, and the leading role in Mr Burton, which was recently BAFTA nominated for Outstanding British Film. He stars next opposite Russell Crowe in the thriller feature Billion Dollar Spy.

Akhtar is an award-winning producer, director, writer, actor and singer in Indian cinema. He made his debut with Dil Chahta Hai (2001), earning a National Award. As an actor, his credits include Rock On!!, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, The Sky Is Pink, Marvel’s Ms. Marvel, and most recently 120 Bahadur (2025), in which he played Major Shaitan Singh Bhati (PVC).

Boynton played Mary Austin in the four-time Oscar winner Bohemian Rhapsody. Her other credits include feature films The Greatest Hits, Chevalier, The Pale Blue Eye and miniseries A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story. She will next be seen in Jay Duplass’ See You When I See You.

Clark broke out in Saint Maud, for which she won a BAFTA Cymru, London Film Critics Circle award, and earned BIFA and BAFTA Rising Star nominations. Her other credits include Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. She will next be seen as Ophelia in Hamlet opposite Riz Ahmed.