House of Guinness star James Norton has been cast to play the gay manager of The Beatles, Brian Epstein, in the upcoming four-film band biopic.
If true, Norton will be joining The History of Sound’s Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Saltburn’s Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, Stranger Things’ Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Babygirl’s Harris Dickinson as John Lennon.
Furthermore, Ammonite’s Saoirse Ronan is to play Linda McCartney, who was married to McCartney from 1969 to her death in 1998.
The news has been reported by Deadline. However, Sony, the production company behind the films, has not officially announced the casting decision
Norton has previously appeared in Joy, Bob Marley: One Love, Little Women and Happy Valley. He also recently wrapped production on the third season of HBO’s House of the Dragon.
Each of the Beatles films is set to focus on a different member of the band. However, bridging all these individuals is Epstein, who had a big influence on the band.
Sam Mendes – best known for James Bond movies Skyfall (2012) and Spectre (2015) – is helming the project as director.

Was the Beatles manager Brian Epstein gay?
Epstein’s homosexuality was not publicly known until some years after his death. However, it’s now understood that it was an open secret amongst his friends.
It was said Epstein used to cruise the bases of London wearing his British Army officer’s uniform… it’s a look!
Epstein discovered the Beatles in 1961 and acted as their manager until his death in 1967. When he met the four men, despite having no previous experience managing musicians, he managed to secure them a deal with EMI’s Parlophone label. He was fondly referred to as the fifth Beatle.
There were rumours that Epstein and Lennon had a sexual encounter on holiday. However, in a 1980 interview with Playboy, Lennon clarified: “It was almost a love affair, but not quite. It was never consummated … but we did have a pretty intense relationship.”
Additionally, this isn’t the first time Epstein has been portrayed on screen. David Angus portrayed him in the 1991 film The Hours and Times, Ed Stoppard in the 2014 ITV miniseries Cilla and Jacob Fortune-Lloyd in the 2024 biopic Midas Man.
The four Beatles films are set to be released in 2028. Mendes has said that the films will be interconnected.
The quartet of films will also mark the first time that the Beatles’ rights holders, Apple, have granted full life story and music rights for a scripted film.
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