Daniel Craig co-starred in Othello on stage a few years back – and his James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli is helping bring it to the screen.
Although Daniel Craig may no longer be James Bond, he’s retained a strong working relationship with EON producer Barbara Broccoli, steward of the 007 series. The duo have spent quite some time now looking for funding to produce what is being dubbed as Daniel Craig’s ‘dream project’ – a modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello set in an American military barracks in Iraq.
Daniel Craig starred in an off-Broadway production of the play several years ago, playing Iago, while David Oyelowo played the titular Othello. The show received excellent reviews and Craig and Broccoli have reportedly spent the last two years trying to find funding to adapt that version of the play (which was directed by Sam Gold) into a feature film.
The report (over at World Of Reel) suggests that Gold may well direct the film version and that the quest for funding has taken Craig and Broccoli to Qatar. A more speculative suggestion (which we’ll place firmly in the ‘rumour’ camp) states that ‘that they secured funding by making a deal with the Qataris to get Broccoli to set part of the next Bond film in Doha.
Read more: Spectre | Daniel Craig “didn’t seem like the happiest person on Bond”
A British filing by Broccoli’s Eon Productions, registering a new Othello Film Company Limited, seems to underline that this story could well be real and it is being suggested that production on it could happen next year.
The big question is whether David Oyelowo will return to play the titular Moor. The actor’s performance in the stage production was highly-praised, not least his chemistry with Craig so we’re hoping he gets the opportunity to recreate that once more on the silver screen. We’ll bring you more on this one as we hear it.
