When Miramax closed its doors earlier this year many unreleased films were left without a distributor. One of those films was Julie Taymor‘s adaptation of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest starring Oscar winner Helen Mirren in the traditionally male lead role, Prospero. However, the film has found a new home with Disney’s Touchstone imprint with plans to release the film this December.
This is not Taymor’s first attempt at reinvigorating the Bard. In 1999, she took on one of the most difficult Shakespearean plays, Titus, which starred Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange.
With this latest adaptation Taymor is shaking things up by recasting the lead role with a woman. Speaking to USA Today, the director expressed her desire to play with the gender of Prospero because female actors “never get to play these fantastic parts because they were not written for women.”
“We changed the role. It’s one of the few plays where it not only doesn’t hurt the play, but enhances the play.”
(Mirren on set of ‘The Tempest’)
Mirren, who was recently nominated for an Oscar for her work in The Last Station, could find herself nominated again for her role in The Tempest. December is a key release date for Oscar hopefuls. Taymor, who has been on the Oscar bubble since Titus, could also find herself in contention for the Best Director race.
What do you think of the casting of Prospero as a woman? Are there any other Miramax titles you are waiting to learn the fate of?