Last year Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn was announced to lead Bret Easton Ellis’ directorial debut Relapse, but now it has been revealed he has exited the project for Sam Mendes’ ambitious Beatles biopics.
Ellis, who has written several novels including American Psycho and Less Than Zero, is writing the script for Relapse and is to direct as his feature film debut. Quinn was to star as Matt, a man who witnesses a death at a party and checks himself into rehab, but spirals into an existential crisis and paranoia after leaving. Ellis revealed on his podcast Quinn made the decision to exit the film after he was offered the role of Beatles member George Harrison and scheduling conflicts would not allow him to do both.
“I think somewhere during that fall, we found out that our leading man Joseph Quinn, who had been dutifully waiting around to make this movie . . . finally was offered this role — I think I can say it now because it was announced — playing George Harrison in the Sam Mendes Beatles project,” Ellis said. “And of course he should take that, of course he shouldn’t wait around anymore for Relapse.”
While not officially announced, this is the first piece to confirm Quinn’s involvement after several weeks of rumours. Sam Mendes will direct four biopics, each one following one member from The Beatles throughout their life. Potentially joining Quinn in the films are Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr and Harry Dickinson as John Lennon.
None of the cast has been officially confirmed though so we’ll have to wait for a formal announcement, but we can take Ellis’ statement of Quinn’s exit as confirmation of his involvement in the four films.
Quinn, meanwhile, will be seen next in Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps as Johnny Storm/Human Torch this summer.
Ricky Church – Follow me on Bluesky for more movie news and nerd talk.
