Beatlemania Revived in London: Iconic New York Street Scene Recreated by Stars

The excitement of Beatlemania resurfaced on Sunday, echoing the frenzy from over six decades ago when the iconic band first took New York by storm.

This time, however, it was London serving as the stage for the action. Acclaimed director Sam Mendes was at the helm, capturing scenes for his upcoming Beatles anthology, a four-part film series set to premiere simultaneously in 2028.

The streets of England’s capital were transformed to resemble New York City in 1964, a nod to the Beatles’ groundbreaking American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, which marked a pivotal moment in their illustrious career.

With a meticulous recreation of the band’s arrival at New York’s Plaza Hotel, Mendes and his crew turned a London street into a snapshot of mid-60s Fifth Avenue. The scene was complete with fervent fans, eager photographers, police barricades, and authentic touches like vintage vehicles and period fashion.

The film’s leading actors—Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr—were spotted navigating through a wave of enthusiastic fans, recreating the band’s tumultuous reception for the cameras.

Dressed in matching grey suits, the four stars matched the initial bewilderment felt by The Beatles upon arriving at the New York hotel for a promotional trip with their manager, Brian Epstein. 

Beatlemania was well and truly back on Sunday as Paul Mescal (left, as Paul McCartney) and Barry Keoghan (right, as Ringo Starr) filmed scenes for a new Beatles anthology in London

(L-R) John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison are mobbed during their first visit to New York City as a band in February 1964

Joseph Quinn (left, as George Harrison), and Harris Dickinson (right, as John Lennon) were also present as filming commenced in the English capital 

With one sleeve torn from his overcoat, Mescal was seen idling between takes after filming his latest scenes as McCartney. 

Elsewhere, Starr’s love of gadgets appeared to be keenly observed by Mendes, with Keoghan – sporting the drummer’s famous moptop – using a vintage video camera to film the staged chaos. 

Dozens of extras were drafted in to play hysterical fans and the gauntlet of police officers drafted in to protect the band as they arrived at their New York base.    

The Daily Mail revealed that the Beatles biopics will be filmed at London’s iconic Abbey Road Studios, with production getting underway in November last year despite earlier reports that plans had been blocked. 

While it was previously claimed that Westminster Council would not allow filming at the famous zebra crossing, the council has since confirmed to the Daily Mail that production will be going ahead.

Mendes, who is directing the films, had wanted to recreate the Beatles’ 1969 album cover on the crossing.

Westminster Council told the Daily Mail that they are, in fact, working closely with production teams to facilitate filming, which will involve closing the road.

Speaking at the CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas last April, an event the cast also attended, Mendes described the films as the ‘first binge-able theatrical experience’.

With the English capital doubling as midtown Manhattan, onlookers were transported back to 1964 and the band’s initial visit to the United States for what would be a career-defining first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show

Pictured: A crowd eagerly awaits the arrival of the Beatles outside the Plaza Hotel in 1964 

Mescal (left) is surrounded by police officers while filming scenes as Paul McCartney (right, outside the Plaza Hotel in 1964)

Mescal was seen idling between takes after filming his latest scenes as Paul McCartney 

Pictured: Hysterical fans lose their minds as The Beatles arrive at the Plaza Hotel in 1964

The hysteria was vividly recreated by Mendes and his team in London on Sunday

Dressed in matching grey suits, the four stars matched the initial bewilderment felt by The Beatles upon arriving at the New York hotel

Elsewhere, Starr’s love of gadgets appeared to be keenly observed by Mendes, with Keoghan seen filming the staged chaos with a vintage video camera

Hysterical fans, frantic photographers, police cordons and plenty of period flourishes were on display as filming commenced on Sunday (pictured: Harris Dickinson as John Lennon)

Joseph Quinn looked the part as he filmed his scenes as George Harrison, famously referred to as ‘the quiet Beatle’ 

Extras portraying hysterical female fans were filmed throwing themselves at the band’s car

A perplexed-looking John Lennon, played by Dickinson, quietly observes the madness 

The project marks the first time Apple Corps Ltd and The Beatles – Sir Paul, Sir Ringo, and the families of Lennon and Harrison – have granted full life story and music rights for a scripted film.

Starr previously hinted that Saltburn star Keoghan had taken on the role.

He told Entertainment Tonight: ‘I believe he’s somewhere taking drum lessons, and I hope not too many.’

When Sir Ridley Scott was promoting his second Roman epic Gladiator II, he revealed leading man Mescal was joining the Beatles project, telling an industry event that the actor was ‘actually stacked up, doing the Beatles next’ so he may not be able to join him on his next film.

Keoghan recently admitted that he wasn’t able to look Beatles legend Ringo in the eye during their first meeting because he was overcome with nerves.

While the actor described their meeting as ‘lovely’, he told Jimmy Kimmel Live that he was so starstruck he struggled to make eye contact with the drummer.

Keoghan was seen taking pictures while dressed as Ringo Starr in a sharp pin-stripe suit 

Placards and signs welcoming The Beatles to the Big Apple were also evident on Sunday 

Chaos ensues as Beatles legend John Lennon, played by Dickinson, crosses the street 

Pictured: Police officers see the funny side as teenagers raise a banner bearing the message ‘Beatles 4 Ever’ outside the Plaza Hotel in 1964

A similar banner is brandished by an extra while re-enacting the chaotic street scene 

John Lennon, played by Dickinson, is surrounded by fans after arriving at the Plaza Hotel 

One fan holds up a cardboard sign emblazoned with the message ‘NYC loves John, Ringo, George, Paul’ 

The Plaza Hotel circa 1964 was brought back to life, albeit on the streets of London, as filming continued on Sunday evening 

He recalled: ‘I met him at his house, and he played the drums for me. He asked me to play, but I wasn’t playing the drums for Ringo.’

Asked if he was able to ‘study’ the musician, he added: ‘I was. And 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.”‘

White Lotus star Aimee Lou Wood will play Harrison’s wife Pattie Boyd, while Irish Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan has been cast as Linda McCartney, the muse to many of her husband’s songs and his eventual bandmate in Wings.  

Anna Sawai, who has made a name for herself in the US drama series Shogun, will appear as Lennon’s wife Yoko Ono, and British actress Mia McKenna-Bruce will play Maureen Cox, the wife of Starr. 

Dickinson will play the late Lennon, whose life was tragically cut short when he was fatally shot outside his New York City apartment in 1980 

Keoghan was seen tending to his moptop on Sunday evening, the hairstyle made famous by The Beatles in the 1960s

Keoghan was seen clutching his camera while surrounded by extras dressed as New York City police officers 

Fans were given a first look at the four actors in character last week (from top left: Harris DIckinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr)

The group were flanked by police officers on horseback and motorcycle in scenes filmed on Sunday evening 

Actors in police uniform create a protective gauntlet for the band as they recreate their 1964 arrival in New York City

Mescal looks completely bewildered as he looks out at the placard-wielding throng 

Dickinson appears to hold a dental plate during his latest appearance on set, suggesting the use of prosthetics in his portrayal of John Lennon 

Fans wait expectantly for the band as Mendes as team get to work on their latest scenes 

London’s Piccadilly doubled for midtown Manhattan, with London buses seen roaring past

Entitled The Beatles: A Four-Film Cinematic Event, the project was announced last year.

The movies will each take the perspective of one member of The Beatles as they evolve from unknowns in Liverpool in the early 1960s to becoming the biggest band in the world and then breaking up in 1970.

It’s the first time that surviving Beatles McCartney and Starr, and the families of the late Lennon and Harrison, have given the rights to feature films about them.

Announcing the female foursome, Mendes said: ‘Maureen, Linda, Yoko and Pattie are four fascinating and unique figures in their own right, and I’m thrilled that we’ve managed to persuade four of the most talented women working in film today to join this amazing adventure.’