Saturday, February 07, 2009

Watching for... KING LEAR

"The Oscar-winning actor Anthony Hopkins is to play KING LEAR in a new film version of the Shakespeare tragedy, it was confirmed today. The film will feature Gwyneth Paltrow, Naomi Watts and Keira Knightley as Lear's three daughters, according to the director, Joshua Michael Stern. 'It's pre-Roman, Celtic, very raw. It's a period in British history, from which Tolkien took a lot of his inspiration, where there were thatched-roof roundhouses and fortresses.' Hopkins played the role in David Hare's production of the play at the National in 1987. Shooting is scheduled to begin in Britain or Ireland early next year." Jun 25 2008, The Guardian

"Al Pacino will play the title role in KING LEAR, an adaptation of the Shakespeare play that will be directed by Michael Radford. Radford, who wrote the script, is making his second Shakespearean foray with Pacino after their 2004 collaboration MERCHANT OF VENICE, which cast Pacino as Shylock. Radford will shoot the picture entirely in Europe, starting later this year. Feb 3 2009, Variety

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