Asa Butterfield has revealed he auditioned for the part of George Harrison in the forthcoming biopic of The Beatles.
The role, which went to Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn, is part of Sam Mendes’ four-film series of biopics, due for release in April 2028. Quinn will be joined by Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, and Harris Dickinson as John Lennon.
Butterfield’s co-star in the show Sex Education, Aimee Lou Wood, will be playing Harrison’s former wife, Pattie Boyd, in the movies.
The Beatles. April 2028.
Paul Mescal is Paul McCartney
Barry Keoghan is Ringo Starr
Joseph Quinn is George Harrison
Harris Dickinson is John LennonThe Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event, directed by Sam Mendes. #TheBeatlesMovies pic.twitter.com/DLOScUAxXk
— Sony Pictures (@SonyPictures) January 30, 2026
In an interview with The Times, Butterfield was asked whether he considered going for a role in the films. “I did audition — for George Harrison” he replied.
When asked if he came close to getting it, he reportedly shrugged and said: “Who knows? I play bass, which was Paul’s instrument.” The article described him as being “wistful” about losing out on the role, saying: “There are roles that you really, really want. But I find something else comes up and you do another job which you wouldn’t have been able to do.”
The Beatles: A Four-Part Cinematic Event will focus each film on a particular member of the group. Barry Keoghan recently spoke about the project, describing his co-stars as “brothers”. “What an exciting event to be part of,” he said during an interview on SiriusXM, “and no better filmmaker to do it than Sam, you know, so I’m having an absolute fucking brilliant time and elevating my craft and, you know, making brothers as well on set.”
Elsewhere, surviving Beatle Paul McCartney was recently banned from Reddit for posting photos from his own concerts. On March 28, the legend played the second of a two-night stint at 1,200-capacity venue the Fonda Theatre, following which he posted images from the event in his Subreddit, telling fans he wanted to share something with them as it was a phone-free evening. The actions resulted in a temporary ban from the platform.
