Sam Mendes films Abbey Road cover scene in London for four-part Beatles biopic project
Actors playing the four members of The Beatles have filmed the recreation of the 1969 Abbey Road album cover on the zebra crossing outside the London recording studios.
Recreating the Abbey Road crossing
Production on Sam Mendes' four upcoming Beatles biopics moved to London over the weekend, where cast members filmed a recreation of the band's 1969 Abbey Road album cover. Video footage shared across social media on Sunday, 16 August 2026, captured the four lead actors walking across the pedestrian crossing outside the recording studios. Harris Dickinson, portraying John Lennon, led the procession across the street, followed in sequence by Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison.
The sequence was filmed repeatedly from the kerb across the zebra crossing as tourists gathered in the area. Production plans by Sony Pictures for the London location included the use of approximately 80 extras and several period vehicles, extending into the forecourt of Abbey Road Studios. The production has not confirmed whether filming will also take place inside the interior recording rooms.
Production schedule and structure
The project, titled The Beatles: A Four-Film Cinematic Event, consists of four separate feature films, with each instalment told from the perspective of an individual band member. Screenwriters Jez Butterworth, Peter Straughan, and Jack Thorne wrote the interconnected scripts. The production is the first film project to secure the full music rights to the Beatles' catalogue, with authorization granted by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr alongside the estates of John Lennon and George Harrison.
Director Sam Mendes announced the project in February 2024. Principal photography began in March 2026 and is scheduled to span roughly one year of production. Sony Pictures has scheduled all four films for simultaneous theatrical release in April 2028.
- Director Sam Mendes announces four-film Beatles biopic project backed by Sony Pictures
- Principal photography begins on the four interconnected films
- Cast films recreation of the 1969 Abbey Road album cover in London
- Scheduled simultaneous theatrical release for all four feature films
Ensemble cast and supporting roles
Alongside the four central leads, the production features an ensemble covering the musicians' families, partners, and business associates. Saoirse Ronan stars as Linda McCartney, Anna Sawai plays Yoko Ono, Aimee Lou Wood appears as Pattie Boyd, and Mia McKenna-Bruce portrays Maureen Starkey. James Norton plays the band's manager Brian Epstein, while Lucy Boynton appears as Jane Asher.
The supporting cast also includes Leanne Best, niece of original drummer Pete Best, as Lennon's aunt Mimi Smith, and David Morrissey as McCartney's father, Jim McCartney. Harry Lloyd portrays producer George Martin, Bobby Schofield plays road manager Neil Aspinall, Daniel Hoffman-Gill plays Mal Evans, Arthur Darvill portrays Derek Taylor, and Adam Pally appears as manager Allen Klein.
The 1969 album shoot
The London street scene recreates the sleeve of the band's eleventh studio album, which was the last album the group recorded together before their breakup, though Let It Be was released afterward. The Beatles recorded the album mostly during the summer of 1969 at the EMI Studios on Abbey Road.
The original cover photograph was taken on 8 August 1969 by freelance photographer Iain Macmillan. The group abandoned an earlier concept to travel to Nepal for a shoot under the working title Everest, which had been derived from a cigarette brand smoked by audio engineer Geoff Emerick. Macmillan captured six frames from a stepladder positioned in the roadway, with one frame selected for the finished album sleeve.
