Sumith Prasad
The filming of Chloé Zhao’s period drama film ‘Hamnet’ is set to begin in the United Kingdom in July 2024. Based on Maggie O’Farrell’s novel of the same name, the movie revolves around Agnes, the wife of William Shakespeare who struggles with the loss of her son Hamnet. The narrative charts the emotional, familial, and artistic consequences of that loss, bringing to life a human and heart-stopping story as the backdrop to the creation of one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, ‘Hamlet.’
Zhao is adapting the novel to the screen with O’Farrell as the co-screenwriter. The project is the filmmaker’s first directorial since helming Marvel Studios’ ‘Eternals.’ Before the superhero movie, she directed Frances McDormand-starrer ‘Nomadland,’ which won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress. O’Farrell, a Costa Book Award-winning novelist and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, is making her screenwriting debut with the historical drama.
“I thought there was something so authentic about the way she [Zhao] devised the film. I got on a Zoom call with Chloé, and she was telling me about this very clear vision of the book and how it would be disassembled and then reassembled for the film. I loved the way she spoke about it, she knew exactly which parts she wanted to retain,” O’Farrell told THR about Zhao’s vision for the film. “And I loved that she wants to center the film around the character of Agnes, which I think is the right thing to do. And then when she said she wanted to co-write the script with me, well, that isn’t something you say no to,” the novelist added.
Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal are headlining the cast of the movie. Mescal is a part of the cast of Ridley Scott’s epic film ‘Gladiator 2,’ in which he plays Lucius alongside Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, and Connie Nielsen. He will also appear in Richard Linklater’s upcoming musical-comedy ‘Merrily We Roll Along.’ The actor delivered impressive performances in Charlotte Wells’ ‘Aftersun’ and Andrew Haigh’s ‘All of Us Strangers.’ Buckley, on the other hand, portrayed Rose Gooding in the black comedy ‘Wicked Little Letters’ and Anna in Apple TV+’s romantic drama ‘Fingernails,’ in addition to lending her voice to Isabel Fezziwig in Netflix’s animated musical ‘Scrooge: A Christmas Carol.’
In addition to ‘Hamnet,’ the United Kingdom will host the shooting of ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel series ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ and Peacock’s ‘Fall of Giants’ in the near future.
Read More: Where Was Eternals Filmed?
