Taymor's 'Tempest' Film Starring Mirren Closes Venice Film Festival

Deadline.com reports that Julie Taymor's film adaptation of 'The Tempest' will close the Venice Film Festival. The film will then be released by Disney on December 10 in exclusive engagements, expanding to limited screens after one week.

As previously reported by BroadwayWorld, 'The Tempest' was shot in Hawaii with stars Helen Mirren (as 'Prospera'), Jeremy Irons, Alfred Molina, Ben Whishaw, FeliciTy Jones, and Russell Brand.

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 SPIDER-MAN. Her other films include Titus, based on Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus, and Frida.

Mirren last appeared on Broadway in Dance of Death. She won the Oscar for The Queen and has earned Emmy Awards for her work in Elizabeth I and Prime Suspect.

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.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

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