🍿 John Lennon casting - Beatles biopic

[Mariana Fraga]

After Ringo implied that he knows about the rumors of Barry playing him and that he also knows Barry is learning how to play the drums, things started to get real about the four upcoming Beatles movies. And since it’s very likely Barry is playing Ringo, the rumors about the other four may be correct. So, what are we thinking?

I still think that Paul Mescal would be a better John Lennon than a Paul McCartney. Since the rumors started about him, the first casting rumor we heard, it was clear to me that he’d be John and I quite enjoyed it. I was shocked to find out that he was supposed to be Macca. Harris Dickinson is very talented from what I’ve seen but I just don’t see John in him and I’m always worried we’ll get stereotyped John Lennon looking. Mescal seems a better physical match for now…

And also, I asked this on Twitter so I’m bringing it here too:

We keep talking about the John Lennon casting for the biopic, who we like from the rumors we heard, who we don’t like, but I really don’t have anybody in mind who could actually play John aside from the given options. Do you guys have anyone at all that would fit his Beatles era?

 

[johnispookie]

I don’t know but I hope for the best with the casting

 

[Skylar Moody]

Still stand behind the idea that they should cast unknown actors!!! With all the A-listers out there and knowing their performance style I think it makes us more nervous about their portrayal. With someone up & coming, it would give them the spotlight and I’d be more open to seeing what their interpretation would be!

Like the Midas Man casting! They all captured their personalities SO well, Blake as Paul especially

 

[ecclesofficial]

It’s hard because there is a really fine line between looking like who they portray and just looking like a good cosplay, and then in their acting between feeling like the person and feeling like a silly caricature. There’s also the problem quite specific to the Beatles - all of them changed so much in so little time, and all of those changes are so well known. Tricky to film, without a lot of bad wigs!

I suppose it also depends on how ‘straight’ the films are being played - if they’re as simple as showing facts from their lives. If so I think the best example of that is Love & Mercy which doesn’t have one actor trying to portray Brian Wilson through decades (Dano and Cusack are both incredible in the different ‘eras’) and doesn’t feel like it has to cram in every detail about his life. If it’s something more experimental (I mean, we do have two different versions of cartoon Beatles just from the 60s!) maybe more like the Dylan biopic I’m Not There, then who knows if they even need to look or sound like the Beatles at all!

Really, I just hope they’re good

 

[Skylar Moody]

It’s hard because there is a really fine line between looking like who they portray and just looking like a good cosplay, and then in their acting between feeling like the person and feeling like a silly caricature. There’s also the problem quite specific to the Beatles - all of them changed so much in so little time, and all of those changes are so well known. Tricky to film, without a lot of bad wigs!

I suppose it also depends on how ‘straight’ the films are being played - if they’re as simple as showing facts from their lives. If so I think the best example of that is Love & Mercy which doesn’t have one actor trying to portray Brian Wilson through decades (Dano and Cusack are both incredible in the different ‘eras’) and doesn’t feel like it has to cram in every detail about his life. If it’s something more experimental (I mean, we do have two different versions of cartoon Beatles just from the 60s!) maybe more like the Dylan biopic I’m Not There, then who knows if they even need to look or sound like the Beatles at all!

Really, I just hope they’re good

Yes!! The details CANNOT be rushed with this one. It’s so hard going into this as a superfan because I’ll catch every detail that they miss

 

[Mariana Fraga]

Yes!! The details CANNOT be rushed with this one. It’s so hard going into this as a superfan because I’ll catch every detail that they miss

What's worrying me most about the details is the fact that a big part of the recent docs we had, the official ones I mean, clearly didn't have a true specialist helping the production. I'm forever upset with Peter Jackson for letting that unbelievable date mistake make into the final version of Get Back; simply the most important day in music history and they got the version that was discarded decades ago. But with the movies, I don't know, they will probably use their "poetic's license" to change one thing or another to create a progressive plot.

 

[Mariana Fraga]

I don’t know but I hope for the best with the casting

I'm really hoping so too!

 

[johnispookie]

Still stand behind the idea that they should cast unknown actors!!! With all the A-listers out there and knowing their performance style I think it makes us more nervous about their portrayal. With someone up & coming, it would give them the spotlight and I’d be more open to seeing what their interpretation would be!

Like the Midas Man casting! They all captured their personalities SO well, Blake as Paul especially

I absolutely agree. Idk I find it kind of annoying that some very well known names that are very popular are constantly getting chosen. anyways if that’s what we get then I hope they get the chemistry, personalities, and humor right. I don’t care so much for looks

 

[Mariana Fraga]

Still stand behind the idea that they should cast unknown actors!!! With all the A-listers out there and knowing their performance style I think it makes us more nervous about their portrayal. With someone up & coming, it would give them the spotlight and I’d be more open to seeing what their interpretation would be!

Like the Midas Man casting! They all captured their personalities SO well, Blake as Paul especially

I haven't watched Midas Man yet, sadly, but sometime ago my best friend who is not a Beatles fan saw Blake somewhere and sent me a message saying she found the perfect Paul she had no idea he was already playing Paul; Blake is essentially Paul, there's no denying.

I totally see your point, I think Liverpudlian actors needed to be the first ones to be taken into consideration, but I never really put any expectation into the thought that they would try and find someone unknown because I saw this project as one that flirts with what was already done with Elton John and Freddy Mercury. They want not only Beatles fans to go and see the movies, so the A-listers are a way to do that. What worries me, again, is the lack of an expert. Whoever will play John needs to have by their side someone who truly gets John beyond the image that was build by the media and the fans through the years.

 

[Mariana Fraga]

It’s hard because there is a really fine line between looking like who they portray and just looking like a good cosplay, and then in their acting between feeling like the person and feeling like a silly caricature. There’s also the problem quite specific to the Beatles - all of them changed so much in so little time, and all of those changes are so well known. Tricky to film, without a lot of bad wigs!

I suppose it also depends on how ‘straight’ the films are being played - if they’re as simple as showing facts from their lives. If so I think the best example of that is Love & Mercy which doesn’t have one actor trying to portray Brian Wilson through decades (Dano and Cusack are both incredible in the different ‘eras’) and doesn’t feel like it has to cram in every detail about his life. If it’s something more experimental (I mean, we do have two different versions of cartoon Beatles just from the 60s!) maybe more like the Dylan biopic I’m Not There, then who knows if they even need to look or sound like the Beatles at all!

Really, I just hope they’re good

Exactly! I was just saying it yesterday, I'm really afraid we might be getting a "tribute-John-Lennon-Band", you know? That wouldn't be cool. As far as I remember, the production was granted full lives' stories, so it's supposed to really be factual as much as possible to a movie representation, but also there's that rumor that the movies will be one of each genre, including a musical, so it might turn out very theatrical.

Ps: I really think we are truly having a problem with the notifications here, I got the notification that you reacted to my post but I didn't get the notification that you replied to the thread, which is VERY weird because I started the thread and I'm watching it. @Admin could you please take a look at what might be happening or explain why it must be happening?

 

[Skylar Moody]

I haven't watched Midas Man yet, sadly, but sometime ago my best friend who is not a Beatles fan saw Blake somewhere and sent me a message saying she found the perfect Paul she had no idea he was already playing Paul; Blake is essentially Paul, there's no denying.

I totally see your point, I think Liverpudlian actors needed to be the first ones to be taken into consideration, but I never really put any expectation into the thought that they would try and find someone unknown because I saw this project as one that flirts with what was already done with Elton John and Freddy Mercury. They want not only Beatles fans to go and see the movies, so the A-listers are a way to do that. What worries me, again, is the lack of an expert. Whoever will play John needs to have by their side someone who truly gets John beyond the image that was build by the media and the fans through the years.

Exactly, there has to be some appeal! Whoever they choose needs to do a damn case study on their Beatle. Especially knowing all the lore that’s involved and how it affected their behavior with each other, their work, etc.

 

[Mariana Fraga]

Exactly, there has to be some appeal! Whoever they choose needs to do a damn case study on their Beatle. Especially knowing all the lore that’s involved and how it affected their behavior with each other, their work, etc.

I want to feel while seeing the movies! We all want the emotions, and at the end of the day to feel like a beautiful tribute was paid to John.

 

[RockL0ver]

Still stand behind the idea that they should cast unknown actors!!! With all the A-listers out there and knowing their performance style I think it makes us more nervous about their portrayal. With someone up & coming, it would give them the spotlight and I’d be more open to seeing what their interpretation would be!

Like the Midas Man casting! They all captured their personalities SO well, Blake as Paul especially

I wanted Blake as Paul in the Macca documentary so bad

 

[ecclesofficial]

Exactly! I was just saying it yesterday, I'm really afraid we might be getting a "tribute-John-Lennon-Band", you know? That wouldn't be cool. As far as I remember, the production was granted full lives' stories, so it's supposed to really be factual as much as possible to a movie representation, but also there's that rumor that the movies will be one of each genre, including a musical, so it might turn out very theatrical.

Ps: I really think we are truly having a problem with the notifications here, I got the notification that you reacted to my post but I didn't get the notification that you replied to the thread, which is VERY weird because I started the thread and I'm watching it. @Admin could you please take a look at what might be happening or explain why it must be happening?

I really hope there’s a real difference in each film, there’s so much to each Beatle that it’d be a real missed opportunity otherwise.

Just off the top of my head, there’s Ringo and his quest for peace and love, George with his spirituality and maturity beyond his years, Paul and his storytelling through song and love of performance, and John’s dives into the avant-garde and the political, as well as his constant search for true meaning and his love for Yoko (it’d be incredible for the John film to finally give us a big-budget portrayal of Yoko that isn’t tainted by racism and sexism!). Really, they’re a filmmaker’s dream - not one of them had an uninteresting life at any point, and they’re all so unique. So it would be a shame if it was four moptop movies with them all looking the same (which makes me think - I really don’t want a film to be AHDN or Help!-era, nor particularly Get Back-era, we have those areas of the Beatles acted by them already!)

(I also understand what you mean by notifications - they’re being a bit weird for me too! Hope it all gets sorted soon!)

 

[Beatlesblogger]

All good discussion. The thing about this particular project is that it’s four films, each one about an individual Beatle. So whoever they choose puts a big focus on the four individuals. They’ll have to carry their movie right the way through. I like the concept, but it’s going to be tough to pull off.

 

[Ingryd Medeiros]

After Ringo implied that he knows about the rumors of Barry playing him and that he also knows Barry is learning how to play the drums, things started to get real about the four upcoming Beatles movies. And since it’s very likely Barry is playing Ringo, the rumors about the other four may be correct. So, what are we thinking?

I still think that Paul Mescal would be a better John Lennon than a Paul McCartney. Since the rumors started about him, the first casting rumor we heard, it was clear to me that he’d be John and I quite enjoyed it. I was shocked to find out that he was supposed to be Macca. Harris Dickinson is very talented from what I’ve seen but I just don’t see John in him and I’m always worried we’ll get stereotyped John Lennon looking. Mescal seems a better physical match for now…

And also, I asked this on Twitter so I’m bringing it here too:

We keep talking about the John Lennon casting for the biopic, who we like from the rumors we heard, who we don’t like, but I really don’t have anybody in mind who could actually play John aside from the given options. Do you guys have anyone at all that would fit his Beatles era?

I'm not very critical at all, I'm just waiting for them to do the best they can, I just REALLY want an actor with John's nose, it's something so beautiful and unique about him.

 

[Kathy - AUS]

Paul Mescal does not have the dual masculine feminine energy required to act as neither John or Paul. Respectfully, I hope he does not get cast.

 

[Georgescrackerbox]

I just hope that the actor who's gonna play John is gonna do him justice and i really hope they chose the actor wisely
ive been studying about the beatles's details so i just hope for the best
also I havent seen Midas man yet but ive been hearing some good things about the actors