Paul Mescal Hits Pause After Hamnet Oscar Buzz — Back in 2028 Beatles Movies
Paul Mescal plans to ration his on-screen roles, opting for fewer projects to make each one count.
Paul Mescal might vanish for a bit after the Hamnet press tour wraps. Not in a dramatic way, just on purpose. He says he wants to ration the work for a few years and then pop back up in 2028 for the big Beatles swing. Makes sense. The guy has been everywhere.
The plan: less screen time, more oxygen
"Once I've finished promoting [Hamnet], I hope nobody gets to see me until 2028 when I'm doing the Beatles. People will get a break from me and I'll get a break from them."
That's Mescal to The Guardian, and he sounds serious about pacing himself. He's five or six years into this hot streak and says the tank doesn't refill on its own. He even name-checks his period romance The History of Sound (co-starring Josh O'Connor) as the kind of project that takes more out of the well. He's also missing the stage, to the point where he might go theatre-only for a couple of years. Not the worst idea if you want the work to stay sharp.
So what is Hamnet?
Mescal plays William Shakespeare in Chloe Zhao's new film (yes, the Eternals director). The story tracks the death of Shakespeare's young son and how that loss feeds into Hamlet. Jessie Buckley plays Agnes, Shakespeare's wife. It's the kind of prestige, actor-forward material that lands on Oscars lists for a reason.
Beatles 2028: four films, same day
Sam Mendes is making four separate movies, one for each Beatle, and dropping them all on the same date in 2028. Yes, four features on one day. Bold release strategy, to put it mildly. Mescal is Paul McCartney, and the rest of the lineup is stacked:
- Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney
- Harris Dickinson as John Lennon
- Joseph Quinn as George Harrison
- Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr
- Saoirse Ronan as Linda McCartney (Paul's first wife and his Wings bandmate)
- James Norton as manager Brian Epstein
Where to see him now
Hamnet is in US theaters now and opens in the UK on January 9. After that, don't be surprised if he goes quiet for a stretch. If he disappears into theatre for a while, that's the reset button he hinted at above.