Al Pacino to star in ‘King Lear’ film
Actor Al Pacino will star as King Lear in a new film adaptation of Shakespeare’s play.
According to The Guardian, the Oscar-winning actor will be directed by Michael Radford, who worked with Pacino in 2004’s The Merchant of Venice where the actor played Shylock. King Lear is the story of a once-great monarch who descends into madness.
“Lear is the one that everyone aims for. Al has been toying with the idea for a long time. There’s a difference between Shylock, who’s only in five scenes, and Lear, who is in every scene, pretty much,” Radford said in a statement. “It’s enormous. I think [Pacino] would like to have that kind of kudos because he’s a terrific actor.”
Producer Barry Navidi, who also worked on The Merchant of Venice, said: “Before, we had the passion and the desire, but we never had a start date. We all have the energy to do [King Lear] now. We’re creating, hopefully, an epic.”
Pacino made his name as a Hollywood star in films such as The Godfather and Scarface.