“No One Else Can—Nobody”: John Lennon’s Half-Sister Has One Hang-up About the Beatles Casting

Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes has officially revealed who will play The Beatles in his four upcoming biopics about the Fab Four. Where the Crawdads Sing star Harris Dickinson is set to step into the role of John Lennon in the The Beatles movies, which are set to hit theaters simultaneously in April 2028. Paul Mescal will play Paul McCartney, with Saltburn’s Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr and Stranger Things’ Joseph Quinn taking on George Harrison.

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However, not everyone is overjoyed about the casting choices. Julia Baird, John Lennon’s half-sister, expressed one particular concern in a recent interview with The Telegraph.

What John Lennon’s Sister Believes Is Missing From The Beatles Movies

Back in 1960, the Fab Four formed in their hometown of Liverpool. The Port City was a formative part of the Beatles’ music and image. That’s why Julia Baird believes that only an actor from Liverpool (a “Liverpudlian”) can fully embody her half brother’s essence.

“No one else can get that Liverpool intonation,” Baird told The Telegraph. “Nobody.”

First look at ‘THE BEATLES’ cast together.

• Harris Dickinson as John Lennon
• Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney
• Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr
• Joseph Quinn as George Harrison pic.twitter.com/PrKSxyo0Q7

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) April 1, 2025

Dickinson grew up in London, along with co-star Joseph Quinn. Both Keoghan and Mescal are Irish.

Baird is not involved with the films or Lennon’s estate. Still, she answered bluntly when asked if she would offer Mendes any advice. “He’s never going to ask me!” she said. “I’m the last person he would want to talk to because then he can’t make it up.”

Can't pull off the accent though

— AaronM (@AaronM_123) April 1, 2025

Baird isn’t the only one with reservations about the films’ cast. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this entire movie will depend on how good their accents are,” one X/Twitter user wrote.

[RELATED: While We Wait for the Impending Beatles Movies, Here Are 4 of the Best Portrayals of John Lennon]

What Else Do We Know About the Movies?

Sony chief Tom Rothman has described the ambitious project, officially called The Beatles—A Four-Film Cinematic Event, as “the first bingeable theatrical experience.”

John Lennon will have his own movie, as will the other three members of The Beatles. Mendes has not confirmed in which order he will release the films. However, they will all hit theaters simultaneously in April 2028.

Featured image by Pablo Cuadra/Getty Images