Riz Ahmed and Aneil Karia are teaming again for a modern, London-set British Indian adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”The pair won the 2022 best live action short film Oscar for “The Long Goodbye,” which they co-wrote, Ahmed starred in and Karia directed.WME Independent will launch international sales at the Cannes Film Market, while co-representing North American […]
Continue readingWarning: spoilers ahead for “The Northman” (and also for “The Lion King” and “Hamlet“).First appearing in Saxo Grammaticus’s Gesta Danorum, “Deeds of Danes,” the story of Amleth has been told and retold since the early 13th century — and has now been brought to the big screen in Robert Eggers’ direct adaptation, “The Northman.” Over […]
Continue readingDirector Robert Eggers has been one of the more exciting directors using harsh and inhospitable environments to help tell his dark and sometimes horrific tales. Next month sees the release of his violent Viking epic that is directly inspired by an original Scandinavian story that was influenced by William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” The film “The Northman” […]
Continue readingCiaran Hinds has reached what Miss Jean Brodie would have called his prime. After working in theater, television, and films for 45 years, he now lands juicy roles in studio and indie pictures alike as romantic lead (“Persuasion”), a Roman emperor, “Harry Potter” wizard, many villains, and, this year, as a grandfather in Kenneth Branagh’s […]
Continue readingAlong with being one of the favorites in the best picture category, “Belfast” shepherded producer, writer and director Kenneth Branagh into Oscars history books.With nominations for best picture (as one of the film’s producers) and original screenplay, Branagh is the first person to be nominated in seven individual Oscar categories, surpassing George Clooney, Alfonso Cuarón […]
Continue readingRobert Eggers’ latest offering, “The Northman,” gives its lead Viking (played by Alexander Skarsgård) a simple set of high-stakes motivations: avenge father, save mother, kill Fjolnir. The synopsis for the epic, starring Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe, describes it as a revenge thriller that “explores how far […]
Continue readingThe early days of awards season bring buzz and promise, but they also mean it’s time for studios to develop strategy and brainstorm opportunities to strike.With the Toronto International Film Festival handing out its prestigious People’s Choice prize to Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast,” the Focus Features drama has the authority to declare itself the best picture […]
Continue readingIt’s half a century since Sir Ian McKellen first played Hamlet. Now he’s starring as the Dane again – at 82. He talks about his extraordinary life, why he’ll never write his memoir – and his one lasting regretOh, birthdays,” Sir Ian McKellen growls, on the occasion of his 82nd. “At my age I don’t […]
Continue readingNoomi Rapace, who shot to global prominence as Lisbeth Salander in the “Millennium” trilogy, will lead the cast of acclaimed “Border” director Ali Abbasi’s adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”Swedish-Danish-Iranian filmmaker Abbasi made his feature debut in 2018 with “Shelley,” which was selected for the Panorama competition at the Berlin Film Festival. “Border” won Un Certain […]
Continue readingIndian filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj is developing a film franchise based on the works of Agatha Christie. The series will feature an entirely new pair of lead investigators.The first film, due to shoot in early 2021, will introduce a young heroine who is thrown into solving a murder, and teams up with an unlikely companion to […]
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