UPDATED: Julie Taymor's 'The Tempest' Will Arrive in 2010
It's Oscar chances will have to wait another year
UPDATED: A few of my casting details were out of date and have been updated. As noted by Noah in the comments Jeremy Irons and Geoffrey Rush are no longer part of the film.
On the heels of my latest Oscar update Miramax has reached out to let me know Julie Taymor's The Tempest won't be ready until 2010 due to what I am told is a lot "of special effects [work] going on with the film."
Taymor's The Tempest is a bit of a revitionist's telling of Shakespeare's story. Although Shakespeare's "The Tempest" centers on Prospero, an exiled duke-turned-sorcerer, the lead character has been rechristened Prospera for this film. Shakespeare's play mixes romance with fraternal politics and the supernatural. As revised for the screen, it will center around Prospera, her daughter Miranda (Felicity Jones) and a shipwrecked crew full of Prospera's enemies.
The film also stars Djimon Hounsou, Russell Brand, Alfred Molina, Ben Whishaw, David Strathairn, Alan Cumming, Chris Cooper, Reeve Carney and Tom Conti.
The topic of the film came up due to a discussion of possible Best Actress nominees for this coming year's Oscar race and I also had Hounsou listed as one of my Supporting Actor candidates. Of course, the film has now been removed from consideration and Mirren and Hounsou have also been removed from my prediction charts. However, I assume we will be revisiting this film again next year with expectations it will be released in the fourth quarter 2010.
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Lots of stuff being pushed back. Let's see how many more ways we can make your predictions tougher.
@Danny: Actually, it makes it easier if they whittle it down to so few choices. :)
@Brad Brevet: That's true. 2010 is looking tougher and tougher now, though. But let's not look too far ahead.
It looks like a decent, 'straight' big-budget prod of The Tempest just isn't going to happen – after Derek Jarman's cut-price eccentricity and Peter Greenaway's experimental version (good films in their own right, but not Shakesepeare's play) I got really excited to see that Taymor was taking on The Tempest, especially after what she'd done with Titus. Then I read about the gender switch. Sigh. Gypped again. Why not do Hamlette, King Leia and MacElizabeth while we're at it.
shakespeare is all about interpretation, thats what makes it still inetresting at hundreds of years. you need to think out side your tiny box.
Hi Brad,
Are you sure about most of the cast you have put down in your article? I looked at the movies profile on IMDB and it says nothing of Rush or Irons. However, actors of note include Chris Cooper and David Strathairn. Correct?
In response to your question about the cast.. YES all the cast listed are in the movie.. I worked on the production and can confirm all of them.
@Badge:
Wow. Am I the only guy who ISN'T upset over the gender switch? Geez. Between this and the IMDB message boards for this movie, you'd think masculinity had been dealt a death blow with this movie.
Dudes are so insecure. You never see women get upset when a new version of something as sexist as "Taming of the Shrew" is released. Jews weren't up in arms over the new version of the pretty anti-semetic "The Merchant of Venice" that was released a few years ago.
Gender doesn't make that much of a difference to a character anyway. Besides, Helen Mirren is an awesome actress. She'll kick ass in the role better than just about any guy could (unless he were Branagh or Pacino, of course).
It's nothing to do with being "emasculated" – the issue was that a straight adaptation of The Tempest still hasn't been made. I agree, Helen Mirren is a great actress (she was fantastic as 'The Queen') and I wouldn't mind seeing a female Doctor Who show up sometime, so please don't read between the lines and assume I'm filled with machsimo insecurity.
I Cant wait for this Movie.. Poor Julie had quite a bit of problems shooting here in Hawaii. There was alot of shots that needed to be edited BUT the finished product i'm sure will be AWSOME.
i just went to a free screening of this in ny, it was incredibly uninteresting especially for how creative it was