Sam Mendes’ ambitious quartet of The Beatles biopics has just added a major creative force behind the scenes. While CinemaCon made headlines last month by confirming the all-star cast — Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison — the question remained: who’s writing them?

It’s now been confirmed that Jack Thorne, the Emmy-winning writer behind Netflix’s hit limited series Adolescence, has joined the writing team for the Beatles saga, alongside Jez Butterworth (Edge of Tomorrow, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) and Peter Straughan (Conclave).

And yes, this project is set to be a true experiment. All four films — each telling the Beatles’ story from a different member’s perspective — will roll out weekly in April 2028, making use of all four Fridays that month. Mendes, producing via Neal Street Productions with Pippa Harris and Julie Pastor, is crafting what might be the most ambitious rock ‘n’ roll biopic project ever attempted. Apple Corps’ Jeff Jones is also on board as executive producer.

Who Is Jack Thorne?

If you’ve seen Adolescence, you know why Thorne is such a smart choice. The Netflix smash, co-created with Stephen Graham, told its story through shifting perspectives, with each episode spotlighting a different character in the life of a working-class British teenager who was arrested for murder. That same approach seems tailor-made for the structure Mendes is aiming for: four movies, four viewpoints, one legendary band.

Adolescence quickly became one of Netflix’s biggest hits, racking up more than 125 million global views since premiering in March. It’s now the third most-watched original series in Netflix’s history, and Thorne is expected to pick up several Emmy nominations in the Limited Series category later this year.

Thorne is a prolific scribe, having written everything from the Enola Holmes trilogy to The Swimmers and Joy for Netflix. He also contributed to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II. His early UK work includes Shameless, Skins, and The Eddy, while he served as head writer on HBO’s adaptation of His Dark Materials.

Up next for Thorne is Disney’s Tron: Ares, starring Jared Leto, for which he shares credit with Jesse Wigutow. That film is due out in theaters this October.

via Collider