Louis McCartney cast as Ringo Starr in new Beatles drama

Northern Irish actor Louis McCartney has been cast as Ringo Starr in the upcoming BBC drama Hamburg Days, according to RTÉ.

The series will focus on The Beatles' formative years in Hamburg between 1960 and 1962, a pivotal period before the band's international breakthrough.

McCartney, who is from Belfast, will portray Starr alongside fellow Irish actor Rhys Mannion as John Lennon. The cast also includes Ellis Murphy as Paul McCartney, Harvey Brett as George Harrison and Patrick Gilmore as original Beatles drummer Pete Best.

Asa Butterfield, best known for his starring role in Netflix's Sex Education, will portray Beatles manager Brian Epstein, who oversaw the band's rise to fame before his death in 1967.

The series is based on the autobiographical book by Klaus Voormann and Astrid Kirchherr, two close friends of The Beatles during their formative years in Hamburg. Voormann later won a Grammy for designing the cover of the band's 1966 album Revolver and went on to perform bass on several of their solo records, while Kirchherr became renowned for her iconic photographs documenting the group's early days.

McCartney is best known for his Olivier Award-winning performance in the West End production of Stranger Things: The First Shadow, in which he played Henry Creel.

The BBC series is separate from Sam Mendes' forthcoming four-part Beatles biopic project, in which Barry Keoghan is set to portray Ringo Starr alongside Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney.

According to RTÉ, production on Hamburg Days is currently underway in Liverpool.