Robert Zemeckis finds Beatles for ‘Yellow Submarine’
It’s “all together now” for the cast of Robert Zemeckis’ upcoming Beatles feature.
Cary Elwes, Dean Lennox Kelly, Peter Serafinowicz and Adam Campbell are in negotiations to portray the members of the band in “Yellow Submarine,” which the director is remaking for Disney.
The original 1968 animated movie was based on the music by the Beatles and featured a storyline wherein a soldier called Old Fred meets up with the Beatles and travels in a yellow submersible to Pepperland. Among the group’s encounters are the music-hating Blue Meanies.
As with his recently released “A Christmas Carol,” Zemeckis is making the movie using 3D performance-capture technology. The helmer, who also wrote the screenplay, is producing with his Imagemovers Digital partners Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey.
The Beatles tribute band the Fab Four will be motion-captured as the ensemble for the musical performance sequences though — since actual Beatles music will be utilized (licensed from Sony/ATV and EMI-Capitol Records) — they won’t actually be performing the 16 songs used in the movie.
Kelly, a British actor who is currently on the BBC’s “Robin Hood” series, is portraying John Lennon.
Serafinowicz, repped by UTA and Troika in the U.K. and Principato/Young, appeared in “Shaun of the Dead” and in “Couples Retreat.” He plays Paul McCartney.
Elwes, who worked with Zemeckis on “A Christmas Carol” and is in the upcoming “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn,” will play George Harrison. Elwes is repped by APA and Kritzer Levine Wilkins Griffin Entertainment.
Campbell will be Ringo Starr. His credits include “Epic Movie” and “Date Movie,” and he will be seen on NBC’s miniseries “Day One.” He is repped by ICM and United Agents in the U.K.
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