Paul Mescal, Harris Dickinson, Barry Keoghan and Joseph Quinn have been photographed recreating one of the most iconic images in music history while filming the upcoming Beatles biopics. The actors, dressed in full costume, were seen walking across the famous Abbey Road zebra crossing in London on Sunday, mirroring the album cover of the Beatles' 1969 record Abbey Road.
The set of four films, directed by Sir Sam Mendes and scheduled for simultaneous release in 2028, is being shot at the real location outside Abbey Road Studios in St John's Wood, where the band recorded most of their music. The production is sparing no detail in paying homage to the original photograph, which was taken by Scottish photographer Iain Macmillan based on an idea sketched by Paul McCartney.
Faithful Recreation of the Iconic Cover
In the new photos, Dickinson's John Lennon leads the way, wearing a replica cream suit and canvas trainers, with his hands in his pockets and a bushy beard. Keoghan's Ringo Starr follows in a black suit, black boots, and a vibrant printed tie, matching the drummer's look from the original. Mescal, as Paul McCartney, is seen in a white shirt and dark blue suit, walking barefoot—a detail fans may have noticed on the original cover. Quinn, as George Harrison, brings up the rear in a denim shirt and blue flared jeans, with the guitarist's shoulder-length hair and beard.
The original cover image was captured by Macmillan in just 10 minutes, as he balanced on a stepladder in the middle of the road while a policeman held up traffic. This time, the production had more than 20 crew members on set during the recreation, according to video shared on social media.
Filming Disrupts Local Resident
The on-location filming caused a stir for TV presenter Vanessa Feltz, who said it left her stuck inside her home. Feltz, 64, posted a video on Instagram showing classic cars parked in the street and the road cordoned off. 'So Saskia (her daughter) and the children have come for lunch, but they couldn't get into the road at all,' she said. 'We weren't really sure why, we thought, "What, more roadworks?", I was just about to start objecting—no, not really—and it turns out they're making the Beatles movie in Abbey Road.'
She added: 'And can you see the cars? And we've just passed John Lennon's iconic Rolls-Royce, they're recreating the crossing of Abbey Road moment, and so therefore it's been a bit of a thing to get both in to and out of my road. But anyway, how exciting!'
Details of the Four-Film Event
Mendes' The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event consists of four films, each focusing on a different member of the band, charting their rise from unknowns in Liverpool to global fame in the 1960s. It is the first time that surviving Beatles McCartney and Starr, along with the families of Lennon and Harrison, have agreed to give the rights for feature films telling their story and featuring their music.
The cast includes James Norton as the band's manager Brian Epstein, Aimee Lou Wood as Harrison's wife Pattie Boyd, Saoirse Ronan as Linda McCartney, Anna Sawai as Yoko Ono, and Mia McKenna-Bruce as Ringo's first wife, Maureen Starkey. Harry Lloyd plays George Martin, the group's producer known as the 'fifth Beatle'. The films are scheduled for release in cinemas in April 2028.
