Casting has been confirmed for the BBC’s new Beatles drama.
Hamburg Days will tell the story of the Fab Four’s early evolution in 1960s Hamburg, inspired by German artist Klaus Voormann’s autobiography.
It Is In Us All actor Rhys Mannion has been cast as John Lennon, with Ellis Murphy as Sir Paul McCartney and Harvey Brett playing George Harrison.
Rivals’ Louis Landau will play Stu Sutcliffe, while Patrick Gilmore joins the cast as Pete Best.
Best and Sutcliffe were drummer and bassist for the iconic group, before Sir Ringo Starr joined in 1962.
Voormann himself – who serves as exclusive consultant on the project – is being played by Casper von Bülow, while the cast is rounded out by Luna Jordan and Laura Tonke as Astrid and Nielsa Kirchherr.
The BBC reveal cast of new Beatles drama that’s set to go head-to-head with Sam Mendes Hollywood biopic (pictured Ellis Murphy, Paddy Gilmore, Harvey Brett, Rhys Mannion, Louis Landau)
The BBC have teased: ‘Hamburg Days is set in the 1960s, in the smoke-filled clubs of Hamburg’s St. Pauli red-light district, where an inexperienced young rock ‘n’ roll band from Liverpool collide with two young artists, Klaus Voormann and Astrid Kirchherr.
‘Together they help spark a transformation that turns a scrappy group of teenagers into the greatest music phenomenon the world has ever known: The Beatles.’
Sue Deeks, Head of Scripted Pre-buy Acquisitions at the BBC, previously promised an ‘amazing soundtrack’ for the six-part drama, which will explore The Beatles’ formative years.
She said: ‘Hamburg Days is the fascinating story of how, in the space of two short years, a raw young band from Liverpool honed their music skills in Hamburg, before returning home to become an overnight worldwide success.
‘It is an incredible story, accompanied (of course) by an amazing soundtrack!’
The series is being developed by Generation War’s Benjamin Benedict
It is written by Succession scribe Jamie Carragher.
The Crown’s Christian Schwochow is on board as director alongside Call My Agent Berlin’s Laura Lackmann.
Meanwhile, BAFTA-winning producer David Holmes, known for his work on Killing Eve and the Ocean’s franchise, has curated the music.
Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison for Sam Mendes’ The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event
Back in November director Sam Mendes revealed the actresses set to play the Fab Four’s wives in the new Beatles films.
The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event is set to hit our screens in 2028 after it was announced in April 2025.
The movies have been created by Sam Mendes, Jez Butterworth, Peter Straughan, Jack Thorne, Tom Rothman and Elizabeth Gabler.
Each film will focus on each member of the rock band Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison and John Lennon, who were active as a group between 1960 and 1970.
Barry Keoghan, 33, has taken on the role of Starr, Joseph Quinn, 31, will be Harrison, Harris Dickinson, 29, will play Lennon role and Paul Mescal, 29, will be starring as McCartney.
Aimee Lou Wood, 31, will play George Harrison’s wife Pattie Boyd, Saoirse Ronan, 31, has been cast as Linda McCartney, Anna Sawai, 33, will appear as John Lennon’s wife Yoko Ono, and Mia McKenna-Bruce, 28, will play Maureen Cox, the wife of Ringo Starr.
