Al Pacino to play King Lear
Another Shakespearian role for the chief scenery-chomper
BY Feb 4th 2009 7:07AMFILED UNDER: Movie news
Al Pacino just can’t stay away from The Bard – and this time he’s set his sights on King Lear.
Writer/director Michael Radford – who Pacino worked with on 2004’s The Merchant Of Venice – has cooked up an adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy.
Lear, long considered one of Shakespeare’s greatest characters, is an aging monarch who decides to select his successor by sectioning off his lands to his three daughters.
Two of them flatter him while secretly plotting to stab him in the back. The third, Cordelia, refuses to play along and is exiled. It doesn't end well for anyone.
"Al has been offered this role many times over the years, but didn't feel ready," producer Barry Navidi told Variety. "He's ready now. The film will be true to its period, very similar to the classical look of Merchant Of Venice. Michael came up with the most brilliant adaptation and Al and I flipped for it."
But Pacino faces competition from Anthony Hopkins, who is gearing up his own Lear this very month. Lear-Off!
[Source: Variety]
Which other classic characters could you see Pacino bringing his shouty/whispery talents to?
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