Summary
A total of 10 major stars join Al Pacino and Jessica Chastain in a new Shakespeare adaptation,Lear Rex, fromCandyman(1992) director Bernard Rose. Written and directed by Rose, the upcoming film is an adaptation ofKing Learwhich follows an aging king whose plan to divide his kingdom among his daughters ends tragically as they sentence him to nightmarish exile. The Academy Award winners,Pacino (Scent of a Woman)and Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye), were already been cast as King Lear and Goneril respectively, the two previously starring together inSalomé.
Now, the Shakespeare adaptation has added 10 major stars to join Pacino and Chastain. According toDeadline,Lear Rexhas cast Ariana DeBose as Cordelia, Rachel Brosnahan as Regan, LaKeith Stanfield as Edmund, Peter Dinklage as the Fool, Chris Messina as Cornwall, Ted Levine as Kent, Danny Huston as Albany, Matthew Jacobs as Gloucester, Rhys Coiro as Oswald, and Stephen Dorff as Poor Tom. Rose released the following statement on the casting:
It is enormously exciting to get the opportunity to work with this extraordinary cast that Al, Barry and Sharon have put together to tackle this radical, but accessible adaptation of Shakespeare’s greatest play.
Breaking Down Lear Rex’s Cast
An All-Star Ensemble Has Aligned Around Al Pacino & Jessica Chastain
Lear Rexwas already led by two Oscar-winning actors, Pacino and Chastain, and now a total of 10 more major stars have aligned around them, making for an all-star ensemble. Of the 10 stars,Debose is among the most notablesince she recently won an Academy Award for her supporting performance asAnita in Steven Spielberg’sWest Side Story. Stanfield is the only other Oscar nominee among the bunch, who received a nod for his supporting performance inJudas and the Black Messiah, though he actually lost the award to his co-star Daniel Kaluuya.
TheLear Rexcast also includes multiple Emmy winners. Brosnahan won an Emmy Award for her lead performance as the titular comedian inThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and is also set to star as Lois Lane in James Gunn’sSuperman. Dinklage, on the other hand, won four Emmy Awards for his outstanding supporting performance asTyrion Lannister inGame of Thrones. Since then, he’s starred in high-profile films such asThe Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakesand the upcoming two-part adaptation ofWicked.
10 Movies You Never Knew Were Secretly Shakespeare Adaptations
Shakespeare’s works have had a massive influence on the stories we tell today, and in fact, many movies are direct adaptations of the Bard’s stories.
Going further down the call sheet, theLear Rexcast is stacked with recognizable talent. Messina is best known for shows likeThe Mindy Projectand many more, while Coiro appeared inEntourage. Levine is instantly recognizable as Buffalo Bill fromThe Silence of the Lambs, while Dorff played Deacon Frost inBladeand later starred inTrue Detectiveseason 3. Huston and Jacobs previously starred together inBoxing Day, Rose’s adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’sMaster and Man. From top to bottom, theLear Rexcast is stacked with stars who should leave their inimitable imprint on the Shakespeare adaptation.
