Snowtown director Justin Kurzel is still in production on his forthcoming adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and we are treated to two new stills from the film. Along with the first peek at Kurzel’s comes some insights into the titular character from star Michael Fassbender.
“He’s suffering from post traumatic stress disorder,” Fassbender told the Daily Mail about his interpretation of the famous character. “It makes total sense, when you think about it. Justin set the seed of the idea in my head. He’d been away fighting and when he returns, we see it’s a relationship that’s broken down. They lost a child, and there wasn’t time for them to grieve because he’s been away campaigning.”
It’s an interesting take on a character seen in so many variations over the years, but what is most impressive about the project thus far is Kurzel’s determination to keep Macbeth close to its Scottish roots. Most of the cast, with the exception of Ms. Cotillard, speak with Scottish accents and a majority of the film’s set in the area’s Highlands. Every last detail has been planned, even down to the colors painted on the soldier’s faces and specially designed kilts.
This level of dedication to the Bard’s original story is promising and after a successful showing with Macbeth, Kurzel could very easily become a big player in filmmaking.
Macbeth also stars Paddy Considine, David Thewlis, Sean Harris, Jack Reynor and Elizabeth Debicki. The Weinstein Company hasn’t confirmed a U.S. release date for the film, but Daily Mail is confirming that an early 2015 release in the United Kingdom is in the cards.
Source: The Film Stage
