Pete Best’s niece lands major role in ‘The Beatles – A Four Film Cinematic Event’

Posted On December 5, 2025December 5, 2025

Leanne Best, the niece of The Beatles‘ first drummer Pete Best, is set to star in Sam Mendes’ The Beatles – A Four Film Cinematic Event.

Best served as the drummer in The Beatles from 1960 until 1962 before he was replaced by Ringo Starr, who went on to create musical history with the band as they became a cultural phenomenon that took over the world.

While no actor has yet been cast in the role of Best, his niece, Leanne, who has appeared in hit shows such as Ted Lasso and This City Is Ours, will portray John Lennon’s Aunt Mimi in the upcoming set of films.

During an interview with the Daily Mail in 2019, Best heaped praise on her uncle, describing him as “a phenomenal musician” and also highlighting, “The word Merseybeat actually came from Pete’s style of drumming.”

Her connection to The Beatles runs deeper, as her father, Roag Best, founded the Liverpool Beatles Museum on Matthew Street.

The announcement of Best as Aunt Mimi came alongside confirmation that David Morrissey as McCartney’s father, Jim McCartney, Leanne Best as Lennon’s Aunt Mimi, and James Norton as the Fab Four’s manager Brian Epstein.

Additionally, Best’s real-life grandfather, Neil Aspinall, who was a school friend of Paul McCartney and The Beatles’ tour manager, will be played by Bobby Schofield.

The upcoming set of films, which Sony has hailed as “the first bingeable theatrical experience”, will arrive in cinemas in 2028.

The all-star cast will feature 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, Aimee Lou Wood as Pattie Boyd, McKenna-Bruce as Maureen Starkey, and Anna Sawai as Yoko Ono.

Upon announcing the casting of the Fab Four at ComicCon in March, director Mendes said of his vision for the films, “We’re not just making one film about The Beatles – we’re making four. Perhaps this is a chance to understand them a little more deeply.”

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