It is more than 30 years since the BBC last screened a major cycle of Shakespeare's history plays. So it is little surprise that this summer's four new films from the corporation have attracted the cream of British acting and directing talent – from Jeremy Irons and Ben Whisaw to Simon Russell Beale and Sir Richard Eyre.

With the Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes as executive producer, the BBC will screen Richard II, Henry IV parts I and II, and Henry V, from late June on BBC2 as part of the Cultural Olympiad.

Mendes' partner at Neal Street Productions, Pippa Harris, said the combination of the Queen's diamond jubilee and the Olympics made 2012 the perfect opportunity to revisit the histories: "There are so many themes in these four plays which seem fitting to be showcased in this particular year – themes about monarchy, England and politics."

Whisaw takes the role of the doomed king in Richard II, which is directed by Rupert Goold, associate director at the RSC, whose acclaimed stage production of Macbeth, starring Patrick Stewart, was shown on BBC4 last year.

Goold said the films came as Britain was producing an exceptional number of actors with great classical theatre skills as well as screen experience. "That's a really rare moment when you can combine genuine verse-speaking technique with screen understanding," he said.

Other actors appearing in the four films include Tom Hiddleston (Prince Hal), Patrick Stewart (John of Gaunt), Julie Walters (Mistress Quickly), David Suchet (Duke of York), Lindsay Duncan (Duchess of York), Rory Kinnear (Bolingbroke), Michelle Dockery (Lady Percy), Maxine Peake (Doll Tearsheet), Iain Glen (Warwick) and John Hurt (The Chorus). Irons will play Henry IV, while Russell Beale is to be Falstaff. Eyre will direct Henry IV, and Thea Sharrock is the director on Henry V.

Mendes and Harris originally approached the BBC with a plan to restage all of Shakespeare's canon. "It seemed to go down quite well until we pointed out that was 37 films, and they did the maths and worked out that wasn't going to happen," Harris said. However, if the new history plays are well received, there are hopes that the BBC will commission further new Shakespeares.

All four films have been set in the medieval period. "I've never done a Shakespeare production in its exact historical setting before," admitted Goold. He said he had been considering a stage version of Richard II, based on the story of the singer Michael Jackson, before being approached for the BBC version. "But there's so much in Richard II about kingship and crowns, and arguably these four plays are looking at the move from the medieval mindset to a modern mindset, so we wanted to keep it in period."

Each of the dramas, adapted from original text for television, is intended to work as an individual film, but shared cast members should ensure they also work as a series of stories. "We wanted each film to stand alone but also to be like a miniseries you can follow through," said Harris.

The Welsh coastline and landscape feature heavily in Richard II, which was filmed entirely on location in the UK – unlike many dramas such as ITV's Titanic and BBC1's Birdsong, both filmed in Budapest for budgetary reasons. "There's something really special about the cathedrals, the landscapes," said Goold, of the filming in Pembrokeshire. "It's very difficult to find landscapes that can pass for the late 14th century when there weren't any fields, any pastures. So we were right down to the corner of Wales. But it gave it a kind of texture."

The films are co-produced with NBCUniversal and the US public service broadcaster WNET.

Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V will broadcast on BBC2 from the end of June.

• This article was amended on 2 May 2012. The original said it was more than 30 years since the BBC last screened Shakespeare's history plays. Several productions have been screened in that time, but this will be the first time four have been shown in one season.