Stars Joining Al Pacino and Jessica Chastain on Stage in ‘Lear Rex’
Al Pacino and Jessica Chastain’s adaptation of ‘King Lear’, titled ‘Lear Rex’, boasts an impressive ensemble cast. Joining Pacino as Lear and Chastain as Goneril are Peter Dinklage, LaKeith Stanfield, Ariana DeBose, and Rachel Brosnahan, among other notable actors. Production is set to begin on 12th August in Los Angeles.
The film will also feature DeBose (from ‘West Side Story’) as Cordelia, Brosnahan (‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’) as Regan, and Dinklage (‘Game of Thrones’) as the Fool. Danny Huston, Chris Messina, Stanfield (‘Judas and the Black Messiah’), Ted Levine, Matthew Jacobs, Rhys Coiro, and Stephen Dorff will also be part of the cast. Bernard Rose, who is writing and directing ‘Lear Rex’, expressed his excitement about working with such a distinguished cast, as noted by producer Barry Navidi and casting director Sharon Howard-Field.
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Originally performed in 1606, ‘King Lear’ tells the story of an ageing king who decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters. Regan and Goneril flatter him, while the honest Cordelia is disinherited. Lear soon realizes the flattery of Regan and Goneril was false and that Cordelia truly loved him, but by then, it’s too late. He descends into madness as his kingdom falls apart.
The role of Lear has been portrayed by many esteemed actors over the years, including Orson Welles, Ian McKellen, and Anthony Hopkins. Akira Kurosawa’s 1985 film ‘Ran’ reimagined the play in feudal Japan, and the 1997 adaptation ‘A Thousand Acres’ offered a contemporary feminist take with Michelle Pfeiffer and Jessica Lange.
Pacino, who has a rich history with Shakespeare both on stage and screen, has previously performed in ‘Richard III’ and ‘Julius Caesar’, and starred as Shylock in Michael Radford’s 2004 adaptation of ‘The Merchant of Venice’. He also explored Shakespeare’s work in his directorial debut, ‘Looking for Richard’, which combined a performance of ‘Richard III’ with a documentary on its production. Elements of ‘King Lear’ were also incorporated into ‘The Godfather Part III’, which starred Pacino.
–Farheen Ali
