TrustNordisk boards Shakespeare adaptation for worldwide sales
Oscar-nominated actor Ian McKellen has joined the international cast of Ken McMullen´s “Hamlet Revenant,” which Danish sales company TrustNordisk has boarded for worldwide sales. Golden Globe winner Gabriel Byrne and “Gladiator” star Connie Nielsen have also been announced for the film, to be presented to buyers in Cannes.
An original adaptation of Shakespeare´s “Hamlet,” the film explores the violence and destructive instincts that haunt the human psyche through the story of a man caught in a vortex of revenge, doubt and madness. It is scheduled to begin production in the second half of 2017.
Mikkel Boe Følsgaard will head the international cast playing the Danish prince. The actor is best known for his lead role, opposite Alicia Vikander and Mads Mikkelsen, in Nikolaj Arce´s Oscar-nominated “A Royal Affair.” Newcomer Maria Boda is set to play Ophelia. The cast also includes French actors Lambert Wilson and Dominique Pinon and British actor Lex Shrapnel.
Tony and Golden Globe winner McKellen has twice been nominated for an Academy Award, for his leading role in Bill Condon´s “Gods and Monsters” and for supporting actor playing Gandalf in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. He won a Golden Globe for 1996 TV movie “Rasputin,” playing Russian Tsar Nicholas II, and a Tony Award in 1981 as Antonio Salieri in Peter Shaffer´s “Amadeus.”
“The Usual Suspects” star Byrne won a Golden Globe in 2009 for his lead role in HBO drama “In Treatment.”
“Hamlet Revenant” is produced by France´s Albatros Films in co-production with Germany´s Twenty Twenty Vision Filmproduktion; Italy´s Filmexport Group; and Denmark´s Sequoia Pictures. Additional backing comes from ZDF in co-operation with Arte, with the support of ArtKoCo.