New Delhi: Harris Dickinson, Paul Mescal, Joseph Quinn and Barry Keoghan have recreated The Beatles’ iconic Abbey Road album cover ahead of Sam Mendes’ upcoming four-film biographical series on the British band.
A 30-second behind-the-scenes video from The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event is going viral, showing the actors recreating the famous walk outside Abbey Road Studios in London, where the original photograph was taken in 1969.
The original Abbey Road cover, photographed by Iain Macmillan on 8 August 1969, was almost an afterthought. The band had initially wanted to travel to the Himalayas for a photoshoot when the album was still being developed under the working title Everest.
But they stepped outside EMI Studios, now Abbey Road Studios, and walked across the nearby zebra crossing. Macmillan had only 10 minutes to capture the image and took six photographs.
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The Abbey Road album cover
The image went on to become one of the most recognisable photographs in pop culture, while also fuelling the infamous “Paul Is Dead” conspiracy theory. Fans interpreted the members’ clothes and positions as supposed clues, Lennon in white as a religious figure, Ringo Starr in black as an undertaker, McCartney barefoot as a corpse and George Harrison in denim as a gravedigger.
For the new series, Dickinson will play John Lennon, Mescal will portray Paul McCartney, Quinn will play George Harrison and Keoghan will portray Ringo Starr. The series will also feature Farhan Akhtar as Ravi Shankar.
Mendes’ four films will recreate different phases of The Beatles’ journey. The first will follow the band’s rise, the second will focus on their global fame, the third will explore the growing conflict between the members, and the fourth will document the breakup of the band.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)