Nomadland director Chloe Zhao’s take on Shakespeare will be her next film, but no casting has yet been announced.
Back in spring of this year, we learned that Chloe Zhao was mooting a take on Shakespeare for a future film, although the film in question, Hamnet very much wasn’t confirmed as her next project.
Oscar-winning Zhao was coming off the back of some pretty tepid reviews for Marvel Studio’s Eternals (which she is pictured directing, above) when we first heard about Hamnet, a far cry from the universal plaudits she received for her directorial debut, Nomadland.
Hamnet wasn’t the only project on Zhao’s slate either of options, given that at the back end of 2021 she was talking up a Dracula-featuring sci-fi vampire western movie that sounded interesting.
It’s been a long while since we heard anything on that front though and the announcement of Hamnet's production confirms that this will be her next feature project.
Read more: Eternals review | Marvel takes a little stumble
Here’s the brief synopsis: ‘Set against the backdrop of Shakespeare’s most famous play, Hamlet, and during the Black Plague in 1580s England, Hamnet imagines the story of Agnes, the wife of William Shakespeare, as she grapples with the loss of their only son.’ That would be the titular Hamnet for those of you keen to brush up on your Shakespeare.
Whilst we’d still love to see Zhao’s vampire western, this feels like a story that plays into her undoubted strengths as a filmmaker and given how Eternals was received, this may prove to be a positive step, and a better option than stepping into another huge studio blockbuster.
No casting has yet been announced for Hamnet but you’d imagine we’d be hearing announcements pretty soon given the imminence of the production. When we do hear some casting names announced, you can be sure we’ll let you know.
As for a release date? End of next year at the earliest we’re guessing. But: we’re guessing.
