Rogue One and Sound of Metal star Riz Ahmed is set to star in and produce a new adaptation of Hamlet with Aneil Karia attached to direct. Ahmed and Karia previously worked together on the Oscar-winning short film The Long Goodbye which explored the difficult lives of South Asian immigrants in Britain, with Ahmed acting as co-writer and producer. However, the award was relegated to one of the slots in the ceremony that weren't aired on television after The Academy made cuts to the show's runtime. Karia's debut feature was the similarly acclaimed Surge, which starred Ben Whishaw as an airport worker who suffers a mental breakdown.
According to Deadline, Karia and Ahmed are to work together again and will be tackling William Shakespeare's tale of the Danish prince. Ahmed will take on the lead role of Hamlet and will star alongside Saint Maud's Morfydd Clark and Joe Alwyn. Updated for the modern age, this new version of Hamlet will see the prince transported to London's contemporary nightlife scene, attending lavish parties amid a violent journey for revenge.
Karia and Ahmed are keen to point out that this version of the story will deal with privilege and corruption, tackling similar themes to those they explored in The Long Goodbye. It could therefore turn out to be one of the most interesting and refreshing takes on Shakespeare to hit the big screen, continuing a trend of excellent roles for Riz Ahmed. The Sound of Metal star continues to go from strength to strength, starring in award-winning films whilst defiantly speaking out on Hollywood's poor representation of Muslims, making him the perfect candidate to bring one of history's most iconic characters into the modern day.
Source: Deadline