The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event continues to fill out its cast with an actor to play the British band’s influential manager, Brian Epstein. The highly ambitious four-part biopic, directed by Sam Mendes, has already made several splashes by casting Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr.
Other than the four main band members, Saoirse Ronan will take on the role of Linda McCartney, while Shōgun star Anna Sawai is set to play Yoko Ono. The White Lotus season 3 breakout Aimee Lou Wood is in talks to portray George Harrison’s wife, Pattie Boyd, and Mia McKenna-Bruce will appear as Ringo Starr’s first wife, Maureen Starkey.
Now, according to Deadline, The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event has cast James Norton as the band’s manager, Brian Epstein. Since each of the films will focus on a different band member, it’s unclear how prominent his role will be in each one. However, given Epstein’s major influence on the group, he is expected to appear in all four films.
Representatives for Sony, the studio behind the films, declined to comment on Norton’s casting.
Brian Epstein first met the Fab Four in 1961 and played a key role in launching them to worldwide fame. Epstein remained The Beatles’ manager until his death from a drug overdose in 1967 at the age of 32. Today, Epstein remains revered by Beatles fans and is often referred to as the band’s fifth member. His remarkable life was recently depicted in the 2024 biopic Midas Man starring Jacob Fortune-Lloyd.
James Norton, who will now take on the role of Brian Epstein in The Beatles movies, is best known for his role in the British television series Happy Valley (2014–2023), for which he earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He’s also appeared in British TV shows such as Doctor Who, Grantchester, War & Peace, Black Mirror, McMafia, and House of Guinness. Norton will also appear in House of the Dragon season 3, which he recently wrapped filming.
The English actor has also appeared in films such as An Education, Rush, Flatliners (2017), and Little Women (2019). Norton recently appeared in another musical biopic, Bob Marley: One Love (2024), as British record producer Chris Blackwell.
The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event, slated for theatrical release in April 2028, will depict the band’s extraordinary rise from Liverpool to global stardom, culminating in their breakup in 1970. Given Epstein’s influence on the group and their rise to global stardom, he’s expected to appear in all four films, though it’s unclear if other important figures in The Beatles’ orbit will do the same.