We’ve seen quite a few Shakespeare adaptations in the last decade, some being wildly successful (Baz Luhrman’s ROMEO + JULIET) and some barely blipping on the radar (Ralph Fiennes CORIOLANUS). The trend recently continued with Joss Whedon‘s MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING and will now segue into director Michael Almereyda‘s CYMBELINE, a lesser known Shakespeare opus, which has set up a very impressive cast thus far, including Ethan Hawke, Ed Harris, Milla Jovovich, Anton Yelchin, and Dakota Johnson. CYMBELINE was adapted once before in 1982, but this version will be an updated, contemporary film with a unique setting.
Here’s the rundown:
Set to start principal photography on August 19, 2013 in New York City, CYMBELINE unfolds as an epic battle between dirty cops and a drug dealing biker gang set in a corruption-riddled 21st century America. In the vein of Sons of Anarchy and in the style of ROMEO + JULIET, CYMBELINE is a fresh take on a universal story of love, betrayal and revenge.
Sounds pretty cool to me, almost like a fantasy gangster flick with Shakespearian dialogue. Now, that’s a creative set-up! Hawke has gone the Shakespeare route before with director Almereyda in 2000’s HAMLET, so it’s a return of sorts for the duo. It’s a very intriguing concept and goes to show how timeless Shakespeare’s work really is (either that or how much folks just love to adapt it).
CYMBELINE begins production this month with a projected release sometime in 2014.
And, here’s some backstory for those not familiar with the story…
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