Julie Taymor is at the helm of a new film adaptation of THE TEMPEST, opening to New York and Los Angeles on December 10 and to be released nationwide December 17. The film was shot in Hawaii with stars Helen Mirren (Prospera), Alfred Molina (Stephano), Ben Whishaw (Ariel), FeliciTy Jones (Miranda), Russell Brand (Trinculo), Djimon Hounsou (Caliban), Alan Cumming (Sebastian), Chris Cooper (Antonio), and David Strathairn (Alonso).
The film was the main attraction at this year's New York Film Festival, presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, on October 2, 2010 at Alice Tully Hall.
Taymor is the Broadway director of The Lion King, for which she won the Tony Award, and is currently preparing the Broadway musical version of the Marvel Comic's Spiderman. Her other films include Titus, based on Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus, and Frida.
Shakespeare's play mixes romance with fraternal politics and the supernatural. As revised for the screen, it will center around Prospera, her daughter Miranda (Jones) and a shipwrecked crew full of Prospera's enemies.
The Tempest is Taymor's second big-screen spin on Shakespeare. She reimagined Titus Andronicus into the 1999 film Titus.
The film also continues the strong relationship Taymor has developed with the Walt Disney, for which she directed the Broadway musical adaptation of The Lion King, as well as the company owned art focused film division Miramax, which released the Taymor directed Frida.
Check out the photo stills from Taymor's film, THE TEMPEST, below!
Photo credit: Melinda Sue Gordon ©2010 Tempest Production, LLC
David Strathairn, Alan Cumming, Tom Conti and Chris Cooper
Chris Cooper, Helen Mirren, Alan Cumming and David Strathairn
Russell Brand
Helen Mirren and FeliciTy Jones
Russell Brand and Alfred Molina
Tom Conti, David Strathairn, Chris Cooper and Alan Cumming
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