Anthony Hopkins, Gwyneth Paltrow and Keira Knightley Do King Lear

Anthony-Hopkins-King-LearI love just about all classic Shakespearean movies (just about anything with Kenneth Branagh is pure gold). Don’t get that confussed with updated modern movies BASED on Shakespearean stories (like the Leonardo DiCaprio lead Romeo and Juliet), I generally HATE those.

Looks like another classic is getting another big screen adaptation, King Lear, and it’s already got quite a cast attached to it. The good folks over at ComingSoon give us this:

Keira Knightley will star in a new film adaptation of Shakespearean tragedy King Lear, according to the Telegraph. She will play Cordelia, the youngest daughter of the King, who will be portrayed by Sir Anthony Hopkins. Gwyneth Paltrow is tipped to take the role of Regan, Lear’s treacherous middle daughter. His eldest daughter, Goneril, is yet to be cast. The $35 million film was announced at the Cannes Film Festival and will feature epic battle sequences, according to its makers.

Sign me up. I know it’s not a popular opinion amongst a lot of fans, but I thought Gwyneth Paltrow’s performance in Shakespeare In Love was FANTASTIC and was probably her defining role as an actress. I’m very interested to see her back in that style of genre. To me, the jury is still out on Keira Knightley… sometimes she’s flat as hell, and sometimes she really brings it. And a dash of credibility gets added to any movies with Anthony Hopkins in it.

Still curious to see who is going to direct this… but I’m already on board!

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8 thoughts on “Anthony Hopkins, Gwyneth Paltrow and Keira Knightley Do King Lear

  1. cant wait…this sounds like a great idea….i still want hamlet or othello to get a GOOD or AMAZING movie….those stories are so epic and timeless, all u need is a visionary, talented director and good to excellent actors…and u can achieve brilliant cinema masterpieces….

  2. I’m always interested in a new Shakespeare adaptation. This sounds like a good one. King Lear being my favorite tragedy.

    Hey Nazz, I liked Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet too.

  3. After Anthony Hopkins did a brilliant in Beowulf, I am ready for this movie. I like Keira Knightley as an actress and I think she is very beautiful. Gwyneth Paltrow is funny, and she did so good in Iron Man. When does it come out?

  4. I am also on board on this one. I, too, like the casting choices.

    About Knightley, I think she is the “it” girl when it comes to playing a young British chick in a period piece. Whether she should be the “it” girl or not, that’s a different discussion.

    By the way, have you seen Kurosawa’s “Ran”? That was adapted from the play as well.

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