Aman Goyal
The cast of Peter Lavery’s reimagining of William Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ continues to grow! The Cinemaholic has learned that Asha Banks has joined the coming-of-age comedy film ‘All That Glitters.’ The project is slated to start filming in Worcestershire, England, this July. Lavery is helming the movie based on his own screenplay. Banks will star alongside Paul Ready, Elliot Grihault, Mark Lavery, and Tim Downie.
The plot centers on a UK school populated with anxious teens and TikTok scrollers. Ryan (Grihault) is the lighting technician for his school’s play ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ directed by his dad, Philip (Ready), but struggles to keep his eye on the ball as he’s hopelessly in love with the play’s lead, Jasmine. To Ryan’s surprise, one night, the ghost of Shakespeare himself appears in his room and offers to teach him the role of Romeo so he can star alongside Jasmine in the play. Initially hesitant, Ryan slowly comes around to the idea and auditions for the play with Shakespeare by his side, only to feel threatened by Jasmine’s older friend Billy and other potential rivals.
Banks has steadily built a diverse career across music, television, theater, and film. She made several minor appearances as a child artist in ‘EastEnders’ and ‘Call the Midwife,’ before dedicating herself to the stage for the next decade. She starred as Brooke in the BBC iPlayer teen show ‘Rebel Cheer Squad.’ Her sole feature film credit to date is the German musical ‘The Magic Flute.’ In addition to ‘All That Glitters,’ the actress is also set to appear in the BBC Three adaptation of ‘A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder’ and alongside Matthew Broome in the Prime Video film ‘My Fault: London.’
Grihault is best known for playing Prince Lucerys Velaryon in HBO’s ‘House of the Dragon.’ The upcoming project will be his second screen role to date. On the other hand, Ready portrayed Kevin Brady in BBC’s sitcom ‘Motherland,’ Bailey in Netflix’s ‘Heart of Stone,’ and Petrov in Ewan McGregor’s ‘A Gentleman in Moscow.’ Mark previously starred in Apple TV+’s ‘Foundation‘ as Kalin. Downie’s credits include Netflix’s ‘Geek Girl‘ and Starz’s ‘Outlander.’
Lavery, co-founder of Clover Fox Films, is making his writing and directorial debut with ‘All That Glitters.’ “As someone who had a hard time understanding Shakespeare in school, I am interested in exploring the continued relevance of his writing. I am particularly intrigued by the idea of a sixteen-year-old protagonist who embarks on his own coming-of-age journey with the aid of Shakespeare himself, in a story reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet as a vehicle for encouraging young adults to the Bard’s writing,” he shared about the film in a statement.
‘All That Glitters’ entered pre-production earlier this month. The choice of Worcestershire as the location not only guarantees a picturesque backdrop but also ties into the film’s blend of traditional and contemporary elements. The county, with its rich history and scenic landscapes, has recently become a popular filming location. Projects shot in the region include the war drama ‘Benediction,’ the Victorian era-set ‘Enola Holmes,’ and the television series ‘Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators.’
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