First official photos released of Sam Mendes’ Beatles cast
Paul Mescal is Paul McCartney in ‘THE BEATLES – A Four-Film Cinematic Event.’ (Chiabella James)
We’re getting our first official look at Sam Mendes’ films about The Beatles.
Sony has released a set of photos revealing Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr. They were also posted to the movie’s official Instagram account and to the accounts of The Beatles and the individual band members.
On Thursday, the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, founded by McCartney, revealed on Instagram that it had received “exclusive postcards” promoting the films, which were hidden around the school for students to find. Students then shared photos of themselves with the postcards, which were posted to the school’s Instagram Story.
According to Variety, the postcards also appeared at other Beatles-related locations, including the Cavern Club in Hamburg, Germany, the Lennon memorial Strawberry Field in New York’s Central Park, Lennon’s childhood home in Liverpool and the Abbey Road Live in Tokyo.
The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event will consist of four films, each told from the perspective of one of band member. Due to hit theaters in April 2028, the cast also includes Saoirse Ronan as Linda McCartney, Mia McKenna-Bruce as Maureen Starkey, Anna Sawai as Yoko Ono and Aimee Lou Wood as Pattie Boyd.
Jason Momoa attends ‘The Wrecking Crew’ UK special screening at Cineworld Leicester Square on Jan. 22, 2026, in London, England. (Shane Anthony Sinclair/Getty Images)
Jason Momoa is set to be the face of a popular video game’s film adaptation.
The actor will star in a movie adaptation of Helldivers for PlayStation Productions and Sony Pictures. This film will be based on the Arrowhead Game Studios video game of the same name. It has a release date of Nov. 10, 2027.
Justin Lin, who has directed many movies in the Fast and Furious franchise, including The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast Five and F9, will helm the film. Lin will also produce the film alongside Hutch Parker and Asad Qizilbash.
The Helldivers video game made its debut in 2015. Its sequel, Helldivers 2, sold over 12 million units on both the PlayStation 5 and PC in the first four months after its launch in 2024.
It is a shooter-style video game that has a story that focuses on an elite group of soldiers who battle alien creatures that threaten to destroy the fictional planet of Super Earth.
There is currently no word on who will star alongside Momoa in the upcoming film.
James Van Der Beek arrives at the 71st Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 22, 2019, in Los Angeles, California. (Emma Mcintyre/Getty Images)
Stars of Dawson’s Creek are paying tribute to James Van Der Beek following his death.
The 48-year-old actor, who is known for playing the show’s titular character, Dawson Leery, died Wednesday morning following a battle with colorectal cancer.
His family shared the news on his official Instagram page. He is survived by his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, and their six children.
Upon the news of his death, actors who starred alongside Van Der Beek in the hit WB teen drama, including Katie Holmes, Mary-Margaret Humes and Busy Philipps, took to social media to remember the actor.
Holmes shared a photo of a handwritten letter to Van Der Beek on Instagram, captioning the photo, “I formed some words with a heavy heart. This is a lot to process. I am so grateful to have shared in a piece of James’ journey. He is beloved. Kimberly, we love you and will be here always for you and your beautiful children.”
Philipps, who portrayed Audrey Liddell, wrote in her social media tribute: “My heart is deeply hurting for all of us today…every person who knew James and loved him, anyone who loved his work or had the pleasure of meeting him, all of his dear friends and community that surrounded him as he battled this illness, especially his parents and brother and sister.”
She went on to say she is “heartbroken” for Van Der Beek’s wife and children, and urged others to help them out via their GoFundMe.
“James Van Der Beek was one in a billion and he will be forever missed and i don’t know what else to say,” she added. “i am just so so sad. He was my friend and i loved him and i’m so grateful for our friendship all these years.”
Humes, who played Van Der Beek’s TV mom in the show, shared photos of herself with Van Der Beek and wrote she is at a “loss for words.”
“James, my gracious warrior, you fought a hard battle against all odds with such quiet strength and dignity,” she captioned the post on Instagram. “I will always love and admire you for that. Our last conversations … merely a few days ago … are forever sitting softly in my heart for safe keeping. To our extended Dawson’s Creek family of friends … please be respectful of our silences at the moment as Beautiful Kimberly and family have asked for peaceful privacy for now.”
The official Instagram page for Dawson’s Creek via Sony Pictures also addressed Van Der Beek’s death and remembered the actor for his iconic role as Leery.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of James Van Der Beek,” the show said. “His iconic portrayal of Dawson Leery helped define a generation of television for fans and continues to resonate with audiences today. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.”
Additionally, stars across Hollywood began paying tribute to Van Der Beek and took to the comments section of his Instagram post to remember him, including Sarah Michelle Gellar.
“I’m so sad for your beautiful family,” Gellar commented on Van Der Beek’s Instagram post. “While James legacy will always live on, this is a huge loss to not just your family but the world. F*** cancer.”
Academy Award nominee Delroy Lindo on “Good Morning America” on Jan. 23, 2026. (ABC News)
Acclaimed actor Delroy Lindo is opening up about receiving his first Oscar nomination at the age of 73.
“It feels terrific,” Lindo said on Good Morning America Friday. “I’m still processing, if I’m really honest, but it’s wonderful. And part of my response has to do with how positive everybody else’s response has been. A lot of support, a lot of love. It feels really good.”
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated Lindo on Thursday for best supporting actor for his role as blues musician Delta Slim in the Ryan Coogler horror film Sinners.
Although Lindo has been acting for over five decades, he said playing Delta Slim didn’t come easy for him.
“The musical aspect — the piano, the keyboard and the harmonica — it’s a different side of the brain,” Lindo said about playing the musician. “So I would be at the keyboard practicing, and I had some incredible musicians who helped me, but I was aware — sometimes the mind and the fingers, they don’t line up well.”
Ahead of the Oscar nominations this week, Lindo said the buzz was hard to ignore but he tried to do so anyway.
“I was trying to maintain a certain distance, because I was not sure of what would happen,” Lindo said. “It’s difficult to not have it on your mind. But I was trying as much as I could to just let it be what it was going to be.”
Sinners received a record-breaking 16 nominations on Thursday, the most in Oscars history. Lindo said he “had no idea” the movie would resonate with audiences so much.
He added that he was in bed when he found out he had been nominated.
“My son called me. I was in bed,” Lindo recounted. “I was kind of halfway between being asleep and waking, and the phone rang, and I picked it up, and my son was on the other line, and it’s perfect that I got the news from him.”
“Ryan and I had a long talk, and in true Ryan fashion, he just wanted to talk about me,” Lindo said.
Coogler is nominated for several awards, including best director and best original screenplay, for Sinners.
Coogler, his wife, ZinziCoogler, and frequent collaborator Sev Ohanian are also up for the best picture Oscar.
Lindo expressed his excitement for the director.
“I don’t have the words to articulate how thrilled I am for [Coogler], because from the very first time I read the script, I saw what he was trying to do, and it’s extraordinary that audiences have embraced it and embraced his vision,” he said.
Sinners was released in April 2025 and returned to theaters in the fall for Halloween. The movie is coming back to theaters again amid awards season, returning to select IMAX 70mm locations the weekend of Jan. 30, according to an IMAX spokesperson.
The 98th Academy Awards will be held March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The awards will be televised live on ABC and streamed live on Hulu beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
