Ringo Starr reacts to rumors that Barry Keoghan will play him in Beatles biopics: 'It's great'

"I think he's somewhere taking drum lessons, and I hope not too many."

Ringo Starr has heard the rumors about who's playing him in the forthcoming Beatles biopics — and he thinks they're fab.

The "Octopus's Garden" singer reacted to the reports that Saltburn star Barry Keoghan is playing him in Sam Mendes' four-part mop-top biopic project. "Well, I think it's great," Starr told Entertainment Tonight. "I think he's somewhere taking drum lessons, and I hope not too many."

Reps for Keoghan and Starr did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly's request for comment.

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Starr clarified why he doesn't want Keoghan — or any aspiring drummer, for that matter — to take "too many" lessons. "You gotta let them get their own feel," he explained, noting that after they have the basics down, musicians should find their own groove as they become percussionists. "I did a MasterClass, and we were talking about, 'You know, I'm not asking you to play like me, but you have to have this movement that you can do this stuff."

Keoghan has long been rumored to portray the legendary drummer in Mendes' films, which will each center one of the four Beatles and see the other three rockers play supporting roles. However, a source close to production reiterated to EW that no casting decisions have been made for the project.

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Rumors have also suggested that Paul Mescal is in the running to play Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson may play John Lennon, and both Charlie Rowe and Joseph Quinn were apparently floated to play George Harrison. (However, in June, a representative for Rowe told EW that the Red Band Society star was not in talks for the films.)

Related: Barry Keoghan talks 'shaking off all the cobwebs' to join Peaky Blinders

Mescal addressed the rumors in a GQ interview last month, saying, "I would love to be involved, but there’s nothing set in stone." Dickinson gave a similar non-confirmation in an interview with Dazed: "There’s nothing I can say about that; it might not be true, it might be, I don’t know... there’s a speculation culture."

Starr has previously been portrayed on screen by Paul Angelis in Yellow Submarine, Paul Duckworth in Backbeat, Jason Schwartzman in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, and Starr himself in films like A Hard Day’s Night, Help!, and Magical Mystery Tour.

Related: Peaky Blinders movie reveals first look at Barry Keoghan's mystery role amid set leaks

Keoghan recently starred in Andrea Arnold's coming-of-age drama Bird and the Apple TV+ World War II series Masters of the Air. He'll next be seen reuniting with his Dunkirk costar Cillian Murphy in the forthcoming Peaky Blinders movie on Netflix, and will also soon appear in Trey Edward Shults' Hurry Up Tomorrow.