One of the last key roles in Sam Mendes’ four-part Beatles film has been filled, with British actor Harry Lloyd signing on to play producer George Martin.
Martin’s son, Giles Martin, confirmed the news in an interview on the Ryan Tubridy Show on Virgin Radio U.K. The younger Martin — who’s helping out on the Mendes films, too — praised Lloyd’s work so far, calling him “great” and “committed.”
Lloyd is probably best known in the U.S. for playing Viserys Targaryen during the first season of Game of Thrones. Since then, he’s starred in celebrated U.K. shows like The Fear and Wolf Hall, while also popping up in shows like Manhattan, Counterpart, Brave New World, and Legion.
The role of George Martin in Mendes’ films will likely be a supporting, but pivotal one. The producer, who died in 2016, earned the moniker “the Fifth Beatle” for his extensive work with the band throughout their career. Martin was the first producer who agreed to work with the Beatles, signing them to EMI’s Parlophone imprint, after other labels had passed over the group.
As their working relationship began, Martin allowed the young group to play their own instruments, record their own songs, and even sing with their working-class Northern accents intact (things not many other producers would’ve necessarily allowed at that time). Martin remained the band’s key collaborator in the studio, producing almost every Beatles album entirely himself.
By the end of the band’s run, however, the relationship with Martin had started to strain (he was reportedly sidelined during the session for “The White Album,” prompting him to take a vacation in the middle of recording). The only Beatles album on which he’s not credited as lead producer is the group’s last, Let It Be, which was done mostly by Phil Spector (though Martin still contributed).
As Martin, Lloyd joins an already stacked cast for Mendes’ films. Paul Mescal will star as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr. More recently, the film’s leading ladies were confirmed, with Saoirse Ronan cast as Linda McCartney, Aimee Lou Wood as Pattie Boyd, Anna Sawai as Yoko Ono, and Mia McKenna-Bruce as Maureen Starkey.
Love Music?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in Australian/New Zealand music and globally.
The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event is currently in production, with the movies set to start arriving in theaters in April 2028.
From Rolling Stone US
