The Shakespeare Herald
Shakespeare on Film
Benaroya Pictures is set to release a modern day take on William Shakespeare始s Cymbeline. The film will recreate Shakespeare始s play as a war between dirty cops and a drug
dealing biker gang set in 21st century America. The film, set to be released in the USA on January 23, 2015, will
see Ethan Hawke as Iachimo, Dakota Johnson as Imogen, Milla Jovovich as the Queen,
and Penn Badgley as Posthumus.
This is not director Michael Almereyda始s first attempt at a film version of Shakespeare. Almereyda teamed up with Hawke in a 2000 film version of Hamlet, which was set in the corporate world where Claudius had risen to the top of the Denmark Corporation. The New York Times favoured Almereyda始s take on Hamlet, noting that it “is a palpable hit, or it should be” (nytimes.com); however, the film received an unimpressive reaction from moviegoers.
It is difficult to say how audiences will react to one of Shakespeare始s lesser known plays, but the trailer for the film promises action, revenge, and no shortage of drama.
Check out the trailer on YouTube.
Image source: Cymbeline from The Works of Mr. William Shakespear by Nicholas Rowe - Boston Public Library