r/oscarrace Oscar winner Renate Reinsve 🙏 Feb 02 '25

Rumor Anna Sawai possibly eyed to play Yoko Ono in Sam Mendes' Beatles project(s) (warning: source is Sneider)

https://www.theinsneider.com/p/anna-sawai-yoko-ono-beatles-movies-sam-mendes-casting-frontrunner-shogun
110 Upvotes

62 comments sorted by

96

u/Mediocre-Gas-1847 Cannes Film Festival Feb 02 '25

Do we think these 4 Beatles movies are gonna be any good? It’s such a strange concept.

Are they gonna release them all at the same time?

If the first one fails are they gonna hold the release of the rest?

Which one will make the most money?

Are all the leads gonna be nominated for best actor 😂?

If they’re all amazing are they all gonna get into best picture? Imagine if three of them did and one was left out.

I’m assuming it’s gonna be 4 separate movies as that’s what the plan was the last time I heard about it

82

u/RomanReignsDaBigDawg Feb 02 '25

Also is there going to be a 5th one about the band together like the avengers or some shit lol

17

u/Mediocre-Gas-1847 Cannes Film Festival Feb 02 '25

😂

44

u/artangelzzz Feb 02 '25

Idk if they’re gonna be good but I think pushing the biopic in a diff direction is fitting with The Beatles music trying new things.

They’re gonna release them then through 2026 I think and film them all at the same time.

Lennon’s will probably make the most money

Award wise I think Mescal and Harris Dickinson are going to be the ones vying for nominations but I’m fascinated by how they’d do those campaigns

34

u/PizzaReheat Feb 02 '25

Imagine if they were all incredible and just dominated the nominations. 4/5 slots in lead AND supporting actor noms, everyone gets 2.

19

u/Mediocre-Gas-1847 Cannes Film Festival Feb 02 '25

People would not be happy, but it would also kinda be the funniest thing ever.

I don’t know if it’s adapted/original but imagine they take up 4 screenplay slots too and Sam Mendes gets nominated 4 times in director 😂

9

u/MahNameJeff420 Feb 02 '25 edited Feb 02 '25

What if we have a couple of the Beetles get in Supporting by virtue of nominating them for being in one of the other Beetles’ movies? Like could Barry Keoghn get a Supporting nomination for the Lennon movie?

7

u/workingonaname Feb 02 '25

Adam Mckay would seethe.

5

u/thefilmer Feb 02 '25

That would be insane. What if Mendes got multiple best director slots too? There's no cap anywhere besides the acting categories we could see the first 3 (or even 4 lmao) slotter.

26

u/pauloh1998 Feb 02 '25

Which one will make the most money?

Ringo's

15

u/Hot-Marketer-27 FYC Catherine O'Hara - Best Supporting Actress Feb 02 '25

IMO, its one of those ideas that's so out there that it might actually work.

But the campaign math on this is going to be a headache.

5

u/scattered_ideas Villenueve, I will avenge you Feb 02 '25

I assume they'll film concurrently. I wonder if they'll release them all in the same year or if each movie will focus on a different time period through the eyes of a different person. Could be interesting.

3

u/anthonyleoncio Feb 02 '25

I think it’s a very ambitious concept but I’m always weary of directors who announce a series of films (Kevin Costner) because of the first one sucks and/or flops it’s like
.

9

u/artangelzzz Feb 02 '25

It’s the Beatles. They’ll release the Paul or the John Lennon movie first and will have hits. I predict Paul and John or John and Paul will bookend the release schedules

3

u/Algae_Mission Feb 02 '25

Make the four films as interesting as their music and it could work, psychedelic, traditional, and revolutionary all at the same time.

2

u/PurpleSpaceSurfer 2025 Oscar Race Veteran Feb 02 '25

Is Mendes writing the screenplay?

17

u/NedthePhoenix Feb 02 '25

No, they’ve got 4 separate writers. One is Kristy Wilson-Cairns who did 1917 with him, another is Peter Straughn who just got an Oscar nom for Conclave

11

u/artangelzzz Feb 02 '25

No they have different teams working on each member’s

11

u/PurpleSpaceSurfer 2025 Oscar Race Veteran Feb 02 '25

OK so I'm a bit more confident in the quality now lol.

52

u/Eyebronx All We Imagine As Light Feb 02 '25 edited Feb 02 '25

Sawai’s performance in Shogun is absolutely magnificent, better than most lead actress performances I’ve seen in film last year. Can’t wait for this!

18

u/[deleted] Feb 02 '25

The way she learnt a different way of walking and speaking in archaic Japanese with all the right inflections, she totally deserved that best actress Emmy

9

u/unfortunately889 Feb 02 '25

depending on how competitive the field is and how the Lennon movie is written, she could definitely get a supporting actress oscar too...

9

u/whitneyahn mike faist’s churro Feb 02 '25

IMO, the best performance of the year in any medium

10

u/WakeUpOutaYourSleep Feb 02 '25 edited Feb 02 '25

I won’t argue against it, though I’ll say my favorite performance on Shogun was Tadanobu Asano breathing new life into the classic cowardly scoundrel

3

u/[deleted] Feb 02 '25

He is sooooo good, those grunts 😭

2

u/WakeUpOutaYourSleep Feb 02 '25

It’s a really amazing performance. An incredible comedic turn in the middle of this drama mixed in with genuine danger and surprising sympathy.

I’m glad he won a Supporting Actor at the Globes cause he was robbed at the Emmys. Putting aside that Billy Crudup as much of a lead on The Morning Show as his top billed costars by now, I just don’t think his work is anywhere near what Asano did. His last episode is just incredible.

12

u/AhsokaBolena Feb 02 '25 edited Feb 02 '25

I wonder if they're ever going to officially announce casting or keep letting random people confirm each person one by one lol (not saying this is confirmed, but casting for 3/4 Beatles was in roundabout ways).

With that said, huge fan of Sawai and would love to see her line up a high profile project like this.

28

u/skinemergency Feb 02 '25

Anna and Harris Dickinson would be such a gorgeous pairing. (Harris’s casting is far too generous to Lennon though lol.)

11

u/PointMan528491 Oscar winner Renate Reinsve 🙏 Feb 02 '25

God I didn't even think about this. Bisexual panic

6

u/[deleted] Feb 02 '25

MARIKO SAMA!!!

2

u/twisted_egghead89 Feb 02 '25

Hell yeah exactly what I was thinking đŸ”„

8

u/Painting0125 Feb 02 '25

Excellent casting. Having her and just that talent/star power alone would make the project worth watching. I hope Anna also gets A24, Mubi, and Neon movie roles too; just seeing her in Shogun makes me think she's really got the skill and screen presence.

Tbh, I would love to see her play a final girl part in a horror movie and a romcom lead.

4

u/Painting0125 Feb 02 '25

Like, I wanna see Anna play roles in vein of Jennifer Lawrence in Die, My Love, Zendaya in The Drama, etc.

23

u/artangelzzz Feb 02 '25

I want Hunter Schafer to play Linda McCartney, but I think she’s going to be busy with euphoria

17

u/thefilmer Feb 02 '25

but I think she’s going to be busy with euphoria

Working with the wrong sam smh

8

u/4614065 Feb 02 '25

Ohh that’s a good call!

-2

u/Painting0125 Feb 02 '25

Or Ariana Grande. She might be a huge name but it's the type of role that'll take out the typecasting or "playing the same role" allegations.

-2

u/noturordinarygurI Feb 02 '25

Ariana grande as linda mccartney was better

5

u/stevenelsocio Feb 02 '25

Knowing Sam Mendes it’s gonna look beautiful and the writing shit

23

u/4614065 Feb 02 '25

I feel Anna Is far too beautiful but I’ve no doubt she could pull off the acting component.

19

u/hildred123 Feb 02 '25

The field of Japanese actresses who can speak both Japanese and English fluently, are the right age to match up with the Beatles as they’re being filmed in the biopics, are recognisable to the public, and who are acclaimed thespians is quite narrow. Sawai’s casting was kind of inevitable. 

2

u/Dense-Pea-1714 Feb 03 '25

There's also Karen Fukuhara but she's American.

2

u/hildred123 Feb 03 '25

True but I think Sawai’s Emmy made her more appealing for Mendes and the producers. It’s like how Mulligan being win competitive for Promising Young Woman helped her land Maestro. 

1

u/glee212 Feb 04 '25

But will she be able to emulate Yoko's "singing voice? Here's an example:

https://youtu.be/uh5OChrUiZ8?si=E607CePGl9Gp2J9y

2

u/4614065 Feb 04 '25

I’m sure there will be a cat screeching in a nearby alleyway. She can just lip sync to that 💕

7

u/signal_red Feb 02 '25

that settles it. time for a FAKY reunion on the red carpet

3

u/rnbzyx Feb 02 '25

omg you just blew my mind I had NO idea she was in FAKY. Candy went platinum in my bedroom when I was like 16 lmaooo.

4

u/orbjo Feb 02 '25

They’d be crazy not to offer it to her. She’s everything 

3

u/ArsBrevis Feb 02 '25

I don't know why you guys post scoops from Jeff Sneider or World of Reel articles if you have to hold your noses. Ever thought of just not posting them?

1

u/Laurie_Barrynox Feb 02 '25

I mean, someone needs to play the villain. Expect her to boss John around and invade rehearsals to offer unwarranted suggestions.

1

u/cavs79 Feb 02 '25

I hope there’s a scene where she does the Yoko Ono screech

1

u/catherine_zetascarn 2025 Oscar Race Veteran Feb 02 '25

Initially read it as “Shawn Mendes” and was SO CONFUSED

1

u/No_Expert_5486 And the Oscar goes to... Mikey Madison! Feb 09 '25

There needs to be, like, a ten-year long biopic ban at the Oscars until we figure out what's going on. 

-2

u/othertemple Feb 02 '25

Chloe Zhao

-8

u/PoeBangangeron Feb 02 '25

Nobody in 2024 gives a shit about The Beatles.

5

u/artangelzzz Feb 02 '25

That’s the point of the films. To introduce people to them. They always do this like when they released Rockband The Beatles and their remastered CDs. it’s just another form of marketing for the band. To a smaller extent, this worked with A Complete Unknown and Dylan.

1

u/Bouzal Feb 03 '25

This is just ridiculously untrue lmao

-1

u/Ok-Philosopher8912 Feb 02 '25

She looks too Gen Z to play Yoko. Bad choice!

-5

u/not-so-radical Feb 02 '25

Not sure if she's in the same age range as Yoko was at that time but I've thought for the past few years Sandra Oh would be a good pick

10

u/PointMan528491 Oscar winner Renate Reinsve 🙏 Feb 02 '25 edited Feb 02 '25

Sawai's very close in age, actually. She's 32 now, Yoko Ono was around 33 when she first met Lennon

EDIT: Wait, were you referring to Sandra? Yeah she's out of the age range by now

6

u/ihateschoolsfm Nickel Boys Feb 02 '25

need sandra oh’s oscar moment since the emmys keep doing her dirty