From Variety · Naman Ramachandran · · 1m 20s
Shakespeare's comedy, rebuilt after a war
Lakeem Rose is moving "Much Ado About Nothing" to the aftermath of a modern war for his first feature.
In brief
Lakeem Rose is moving "Much Ado About Nothing" to the aftermath of a modern war for his first feature. A first-time British director is betting that Shakespeare's sharpest comedy plays even better among soldiers coming home from a war that just ended. Originally reported by Variety.
A debut with Shakespeare
British writer-director Lakeem Rose is developing his first feature, a contemporary take on William Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing."
Three producers, three countries
Canadian producers Plato Fountidakis and Paul Rapovski are on board, along with Hong Kong-based producer and casting director Mike Leeder.
Set just after a war
Rose moves the story into the immediate aftermath of a modern-day war, trading Messina's sunlit villa for a world still shaking off the fighting.
“the story shifts to a world just after a modern-day war”
Four soldiers come home
The plot centres on four returning soldiers who reunite at the house of a family friend, the same gathering that sets Shakespeare's original in motion.
Old grudges, new romance
Their reunion stirs up resentments that never healed, tangled together with fresh romantic entanglements between the people in the house.
“Old grudges resurface alongside fresh romantic entanglements”
A scheme that could break everyone
As in the play, a plot is set in motion that threatens to unravel everyone involved, with the war's damage raising what each person stands to lose.
“a scheme that threatens to unravel everyone involved”
The essence
A first-time British director is betting that Shakespeare's sharpest comedy plays even better among soldiers coming home from a war that just ended.
