British star James Norton is in line to play The Beatles’ former manager Brian Epstein in the forthcoming biopics about the band.
Sam Mendes is making four Beatles films – each focusing on one member of the Fab Four. Earlier this year, it was revealed that the legendary band will be portrayed by Harris Dickinson, Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan and Joseph Quinn. On October 9, it was revealed Soairse Ronan will be playing Linda McCartney.
Now, Deadline has revealed that actor James Norton, currently appearing in Netflix hit House Of Guinness, is being considered for the part of Brian Epstein. The entrepreneur met the band in 1961 and became their manager until his death in 1967, aged just 32. Often nicknamed The Fifth Beatle, he was portrayed last year by Jacob Fortune-Lloyd in the biopic Midas Man.
In an apparent acknowledgement of the news, Norton shared a screenshot of the Deadline article on his Instagram account with the caption “Brian ❤️”
The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event is scheduled to be released in April 2028.
In September, Paul Mescal revealed he would be doing his own singing in Beatles biopics and has spent time with Paul McCartney. “He’s an extraordinary man,” the actor enthused. “Like to spend any time – it’s a crazy sentence to say that I’ve spent time with that man, let alone play him.”
In May, Mescal’s cast mate, Barry Keoghan, discussed meeting Ringo Starr prior to playing the drummer in the films. Describing his nerves at meeting the legend, the Irishman said: “When I was talking to him, I couldn’t look at him. I was nervous, like right now. But he’s like, ‘You can look at me,’” he recalled. “My job is to observe and kinda take in mannerisms and study him. I want to humanise him and bring feelings to it and not just sort of imitate.”