Joel Coen’s highly-anticipated Shakespearean film adaptation of The Tragedy of Macbeth has officially set its world premiere on September 24 at the Alice Tully Hall as the opening night film of this year’s 59th New York Film Festival. The announcement also comes with the release of the first official Tragedy of Macbeth image which you can check out below, providing us our first look at Oscar winners Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand as Lord and Lady Macbeth.
“The New York Film Festival is a place where I’ve been watching movies as an audience member and showing them as a filmmaker for almost 50 years,” the acclaimed filmmaker said in a statement. “It’s a real privilege and a thrill to be opening the Festival this year with The Tragedy of. . .”
“We’re proud to open the festival with a film that immediately joins the ranks of the great screen Shakespeares,” said Dennis Lim, Director of Programming for the New York Film Festival. “Working with brilliant collaborators, including Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand in stunning form, Joel Coen has made an inspired and urgent interpretation of an eternally relevant classic, a moral thriller that speaks directly to our time.”
Joel Coen’s boldly inventive THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH, starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand, will have its World Premiere as the Opening Night selection at #NYFF59 on September 24! https://t.co/SGHWIq15lv pic.twitter.com/VA2501I3TB
— New York Film Festival (@TheNYFF) July 22, 2021
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The Tragedy of Macbeth is described as a new take on the iconic Shakespeare tale and was shot in black-and-white. The story follows a lord who’s convinced by a trio of witches that he’s destined to become the king of Scotland. With the help of his ambitious wife, Macbeth tries to seize the crown by any means necessary.
In a previous interview, Dormand revealed that Joel Coen’s adaptation will be exploring more about the characters’ age and that she and Washington are portraying much older versions of the Macbeths which is different from previous iterations. Because of this, it will add more depth to the story by putting a lot of pressure on the leading characters to take the crown for themselves.
The film is written and directed by Joel Coen. Joining the Oscar-winning actors are Bertie Carvel, Alex Hassell, Corey Hawkins, Kathryn Hunter, Harry Melling, and Brendan Gleeson.
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The Tragedy of Macbeth will also reunite frequent Coen collaborators including Bruno Delbonnel as the cinematographer, Mary Zophres as costume designer, and a score from Carter Burwell. In addition to directing, Coen produces the film alongside McDormand and Robert Graf.
Last May, Apple Original Films and A24 have officially partnered for the film’s theatrical and streaming distribution, with A24 aiming to release the film in theaters in the fourth quarter of this year and is expected to be followed by a global premiere on Apple TV+
