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Denzel Washington Getty 1.jpg

Denzel + Frances + Coen + Shakespeare?!

By Kayleigh Donaldson | Film | March 28, 2019 |

By Kayleigh Donaldson | Film | March 28, 2019 |


Denzel Washington Getty 1.jpg

What do you do when you’ve got two Oscars, two Golden Globes, a Tony Award, and you’re one of the best actors on the planet with the ability to do whatever the hell you want in your chosen field? One word: Shakespeare. Denzel Washington is no novice when it comes to the bard. He’s played Othello and appeared in productions of Coriolanus, Richard III and Julius Caesar, plus he was Don Pedro in Kenneth Branagh’s film of Much Ado About Nothing. A safer pair of hands in acting there is not.

Now, Denzel is teaming up with producer Scott Rudin, who he’s worked with on stage and screen, to take on one of the big daddies of Shakespearean tragedy, Macbeth. Joining him is none other than Frances McDormand, presumably playing Lady Macbeth. Wanna talk about perfect casting? Right there. It’s right there. I’d let her cut me down in a heartbeat. Is this a dagger I see before me? Stab me now, Frances. The film will also, according to Deadline, be directed by Frances’s husband. He’s done a few films you may have heard of. Apparently they’ve won some awards. Seems like a nice guy.

Notably, Joel Coen is writing and directing this one, but his brother and collaborator Ethan is not listed. Are they on a break? Does Ethan know Joel is doing this? What if he’s doing it behind his back? How very Shakespearean.

No word on what this film will look like. Will it be a more traditional adaptation set in period-appropriate history like the Michael Fassbender film or will this be wildly reimagined? The latter would certainly be more Coenesque. Will the accents be Scottish? I’m willing to give both Denzel and Frances a free pass if they go full Accidental Brigadoon.



Header Image Source: Getty Images.