Casting boss on the lookout for Ringo for Epstein film says he’d love him to be a Scouser

The casting director who’s put out an appeal to find ‘Ringo Starr’ for the new Epstein biopic, Midas Man, says he would love to find him in Liverpool.

Dan Hubbard, head of Dan Hubbard Casting, says the successful person doesn’t have to be a trained actor, but ‘it has to be someone who’s up for it’.

Dan says: “Ringo was a one-off. There’s no other face out there like Ringo. He’s got quite a characterful nose…

“But it’s that inventive, bubbly, sharp-witted personality. He’s non-threatening, he would charm anyone, that was his role in the group, and the audience is going to want to immediately fall in love with whoever plays Ringo.

“For me, personally, I would love it if we could find him in Liverpool.”

He adds: “I am very familiar with the city, it’s my second home, and I have got lots of friends and people I know there, so it’s very important for me to get it right – because I know I’ll be lynched if I don’t!”

Queen’s Gambit star Jacob Fortune-Lloyd is set to play Brian Epstein in the film about the legendary Beatles manager.

Described as an ‘emotional, witty, heartfelt story of the joy of success and the terrifying pressures of unspeakable risk and unfulfilled desire’ by its producers, Midas Man will tell the story of the Liverpudlian record-shop manager with a talent for forecasting hits and spotting future stars.

Epstein discovered The Beatles – he was referred by Paul McCartney as ‘the fifth Beatle’ – and signed them in 1961; and he also found Cilla Black and others like Billy J Kramer. He also opened his own theatre to promote and launch people like Jimi Hendrix and the Who. 

Brian Epstein

But Midas Man, directed by Jonas Åkerlund, will also look at his personal life. Epstein was gay at a time when homosexuality was illegal and lived a secret life before dying at the age of 32 in 1967, following an overdose.

Dan says they have already got the other Beatles and Pete Best, too, and says he is ‘really excited’ about them: “They are brilliant.”

But now the search is on for The Beatles’ drummer and Dan has launched the search for someone, perhaps an actor but perhaps not, who’s 19-25 to play him.

He wants to hear from anyone who is from the city ‘or able to do the accent very well’, and who can perhaps even play drums or has ‘any drumming experience’.

Dan, who says he has come close to finding Ringo in the past, says: “As a unit, they have got to work. If I get it wrong I will be in trouble. It would be nice if we could find a drummer, a musician, who’s up for a bit of acting.

“He wouldn’t have as much to do as McCartney or Lennon, who we have got. But there’s got to be someone out there who is the spit of Ringo, who isn’t aware of this and needs to be aware of it!

“We can help make it work. We can guide him, we can train him if he is raw. We want the actors to be able to play their instruments to a degree but to have that upbeat, friendly, mad-cap humour going on and that’s why I would love to find Ringo in Liverpool. If we can do that, it would be great.” 

Could you play the backbeat of The Beatles?@midasmanmovie are looking for their Ringo Starr 🥁 in an very special casting call!

⏰ Deadline for submissions: 25 AUG
ℹ️ Scousers preferred (of course), details below via @DanHubbard #FilmLiverpool 🎥 pic.twitter.com/ht2Y8HxznP

— Liverpool Film Office (@FilmLiverpool) August 18, 2021

Liverpool Film Office, which supports productions in searching for locations and filming services, has been helping the production company to find the crew for Midas Man, issuing a call last month after which it says it was inundated with CVs from local crew to work on the film.

The deadline for applications, which should be sent with a photo and details to midasmancasting@gmail.com, is August 25.