Almost exactly a year ago, it was reported that Joel Coen was branching off on his own to write and direct a new version of the William Shakespeare drama, “Macbeth,” for A24. And as if that wasn’t intriguing enough, we learned that the cast would be led by Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand. However, since then, things have been fairly quiet. Well, now that the film is on the verge of production, some more cast members have been announced and “Macbeth” continues to add incredible actors to its cast.
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According to Deadline, Brendan Gleeson, Corey Hawkins, Harry Melling, and Ralph Ineson have all joined the cast of “Macbeth,” which will begin production in a couple of weeks. While the role that Ineson will portray is not yet known, Gleeson will play Duncan, Hawkins will portray Macduff, and Melling is set to play Malcolm. Obviously, Washington and McDormand are cast in the lead roles of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, respectively.
If you missed the “Macbeth” portion of your schooling, the drama follows the title character that is told that he is destined to become the King. He then goes to extreme lengths, along with his wife, to achieve that destiny. Shakespeare’s story has been adapted a number of times, most recently with star Michael Fassbender and director Justin Kurzel.
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“Macbeth” marks the first time that Joel Coen is separating from his brother, Ethan, for a feature film of his own. As mentioned, in addition to directing, he is also the screenwriter for this adaptation. His previous film is the Netflix original, “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” which he wrote and directed alongside his brother.
No release date has been given, but with filming set to begin next month, there’s a chance we could see “Macbeth” make a late-2020 debut, just in time for awards consideration.