The question is who will direct this upcoming version of King Lear with Anthony Hopkins, Keira Knightley, and Gwyneth Paltrow?

And how will it compare to the upcoming BBC version starring Ian McKellen and Romola Garai?

Shall we hereby declare it Lear Year?

Very exciting. Hopkins' style is particularly well-suited to Lear.

And, for comparisons, there are always the existing versions starring Ian Holm, Gielgud, Plummer, or (my favorite) Olivier, and many others. And, of course, Kurosawa's masterpiece adaptation Lear-ish film, Ran.

(Has Jacobi done Lear yet? Did Scofield?)

Hmmm...I'm looking a few decades ahead to Branagh's Lear and wondering if will be as overblown and pompous as his Hamlet.

Lear shots (BIG yes to Scofield; no images of Jacobi):






(yes, Kevin Kline!)


(Stacey Keach)
(Orson Welles)

Who's missing...Richard Harris, maybe? Ben Kingsley?

Branagh has played The Fool to Richard Brier's Lear:

Nigel Hawthorne

Alan Thomas wrote:
: And, for comparisons, there are always the existing versions starring Ian Holm, Gielgud, Plummer, or (my favorite) Olivier, and many others. And, of course, Kurosawa's masterpiece adaptation Lear-ish film, Ran.

The Godfather Part III has been described as Lear-ish too, no?

Actually I think "The Year of Lear" sounds better.

And it's sounding better all the time.

Naomi Watts is in with Paltrow and Knightley. What father wouldn't go mad?

Holy moly, that's some good old-fashioned nightmare fuel.

Now you know who inspired Kurosawa.

Looks a little like Anakin S. in Return of the Jedi.

Methinks the material is a bit beyond both Paltrow and Knightley, but hey. At least Paltrow is playing one of the nasty daughters, which will be interesting.