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Emile Hirsch on What to Expect in His New Hamlet Movie

by Alex Billington
August 26, 2009
Source: Collider

Emile Hirsch - Hamlet - Catherine Hardwicke

Last week we ran an update on the upcoming slate for director Catherine Hardwicke. One of the projects she has in the works, which may be shooting soon, is a contemporary version of Shakespeare's Hamlet that is set to star Emile Hirsch (first written about here). Our friends at Collider talked with Hirsch recently, who not only confirmed that he's supposed to start shooting in October, but divulged some interesting details on what we can expect. "It's almost like mixing Hamlet with The Shining a little bit and making this kind of scary/cool vision of the play." Well damn, I already prefer this version over that Shakespeare 4 Kidz crap.

"I'm working on a modern-day younger adaptation of Hamlet, in verse, molded to be almost like this supernatural horror movie. Where it's not a horror-slasher movie, it's like a suspense-horror... All the cast will be much younger and it's geared towards a younger audience. Catherine Hardwicke, who did Twilight and Lords of Dogtown, we're working on that together right now."

Maybe it's just because I'm no longer in school or actively involved in theater (which are the most common places to find Shakespeare), but I haven't seen a good Shakespeare adaptation in a while. And I'm actually kind of digging this idea just because I'm in the mood to see some Shakespeare (and I don't have many good theaters near where I live). I'm not the biggest fan of Catherine Hardwicke as a director, but I do like Emile Hirsh, and wouldn't mind seeing him take this on. Hell, maybe I'll go rent a copy of Leonardo DiCaprio's Romeo + Juliet this weekend just for the hell of it? I say give it a green light Overture Films, get this made!

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Klaus

Seems like Emile's project more than Catherine's. Which is a good thing. I see Emile becoming the next great actor turn Director all la Sean Penn.
http://MYSPACE.COM/ESOPHUS JEFFREY

I trust Emile Hirsch. He's remarkably talented for such a young actor and assuming this will be in the traditional Shakespearean dialect I feel like he could pull it off. However the word "YOUNG" always sends a chill up my spine especially when dealing with such detailed literature. Shakespeare had a way of writing that in my opinion only a handful of actors have really ever been able to touch and those actors all went to school for it. YOUNG and NEW usually translates to "don't worry so much about the dialogue and just look at how cool this is". As an actor I would be the first one to jump on any part in this flick assuming I could "fake it" well enough to convince them to hire me...but there would be apart of me that knew that I didn't have the chops to even be looking at the pages of any of Shakespeare's works. I did however enjoy Baz Luhrman's Romeo and Juliet,but looking back at it...it was hack. I am going to recommend a flick which was a fabulous re imagining of Shakespeare's TITUS ADRONICUS directed by Julie Taymor and Starring Anthony Hopkin's. The cast was flawless mainly because most of them were British and in my opinion they are the only one's really allowed to touch Shakespeare....lol.
http://www.skonmovies.com Sean Kelly

I was not a big fan of the last modern version of Hamlet (with Ethan Hawke), so I'll just wait and see what this film is like.
Alfredo

I thought this whole "modernization" of old literature was a thing of the 90s. Guess not.
yes

i hope they dont make it a twilight-version of shakespeare
jasonmd2020

Shakespeare has got so many plays, yet everyone chooses the same ones. Personally I'd like to see Julius Cesar set in something like old communist Russia. Or if they have to make Romeo & Juliet again, set it between two warring clans in feudal Japan. And I agree with #2. Titus was an underrated gem.
LINKFX

I remember you bashing on Kenneth Brannagh as the choice director for "Thor"...if you remember he did the best "Hamlet" on film so far...So considering he did "Hamlet", does that factor into your opinion of whether or not you still think he's going to dissapoint on "Thor?"
Fc

woo! I can't wait for the sequel. ;] ha. ha. ha.
Travis

Go rent a film called Scotland, PA. its a modern day retelling on MacBeth and very interesting. Also very funny.