Denzel Washington & Frances McDormand star in ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’ omg

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, at the Windermere Adventure Training Centre with RAF Cadets

I totally forgot that this was announced, but did you know that Joel Coen directed and adapted the Scottish play into yet another film? It’s true. Denzel Washington was cast as Macbeth, with Frances McDormand as Lady Macbeth. My God. Brendan Gleeson plays King Duncan and Corey Hawkins plays Macduff. The teaser trailer was released today and it looks properly spooky and evocative. The shot of the three witches assembling is especially freaky.

First of all, I love that Denzel looks really old. He looks like an old warrior. He looks gritty. We can’t see enough of Frances for me to have any judgment, but she’s one of our finest actresses and I’m sure she’ll do the role justice. It’s my hope and prayer that Denzel and Frances aren’t doing accents. Sure, Shakespeare arguably *sounds* better with a non-American accent, but whatever. Denzel and Frances are going to murder that iambic pentameter. Out, out brief candle, life is but a walking shadow…

Also: Denzel has done several Shakespeare adaptations on film and stage in his day (Richard III, Julius Caesar, Much Ado About Nothing). I wonder if this was brought to him and he was merely an actor for hire, or if he’d always wanted to play Macbeth and it was something he was actively trying to put together.

Photos courtesy of AppleTV and Avalon Red.

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19 Responses to “Denzel Washington & Frances McDormand star in ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’ omg”

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  1. TeamAwesome says:

    Oh, I LOVED him in Much Ado About Nothing!!

  2. Jais says:

    Macbeth is my favorite really. I love the witchy atmosphere and power dynamics between Macbeth and his wife. Am curious about the choice to do the whole movie in black and white? But I am here for it and especially for Denzel as Macbeth omg.

  3. Tiffany says:

    This just might be worth looking into Apple TV for.

    And it would not surprise me if Frances was the one to set this in motion, told Joel it was happening and talked to Denzel herself. She strikes me as that person and ain’t nothing wrong with it.

  4. Stacy Dresden says:

    Very cool pairing. I can’t wait.

  5. Eurydice says:

    I’d love to see this, but I can’t keep subscribing to more and more services.

  6. Queen Meghan's Hand says:

    If there wasn’t a global plague, I would see this Christmas Day in theaters. Would be a great day!

  7. Lightpurple says:

    Excited!

  8. Erin says:

    I love them all. Especially Brendan Gleeson, I love him so much. Can’t wait to see this.

  9. Becks1 says:

    This looks excellent! MacBeth is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays and to me its such a classic, in that it tells a story that really never gets old and that is always relevant.

  10. Millenial says:

    Maybe this is basic of me, but I haaaate films shot in black and white. Didn’t they just do a black and white version of Much Ado a few years ago? Staaaahp.

    • Jais says:

      I wonder if it supposed to evoke Bergman and the seventh seal type stuff? I’m the same in that if the movie is great I will like it, regardless of whether it’s in black and white or color, but overall am not a huge fan of the black and white.

  11. Leah says:

    Oh, how I have been waiting for this! It will be superb.

  12. Margo says:

    I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  13. SarahCS says:

    Ok the trailer has me really wanting to see this. Yet another one on the apple tv list. I may end up cracking because there are so many things I really want to see on it. Ugh.

    Also, hey Dudley Dursley! Given the fate of so many child actors I’m delighted to see him out and about doing his thing again, he was great in the OId Guard.

    Also, also, this was a play I studied at school so we went to see it somewhere and when Macduff’s (? – it’s been a long time!) family is killed one of the soldiers picked up the baby/doll and ‘dashed’ it against a bedpost which caused the loudest plastic sounding ‘thunk’ you ever heard. We were all in fits of laughter. Only topped by the time we went to see King Lear at the Hackney Empire and had all largely dozed off until the one guy still awake shouted ‘HE’S NAKED’ and we all got a full frontal of Alf Garnett / Warren Mitchell (google it, I’d assume all pics of him online are fully clothed but you’ll get the idea).

  14. Venus says:

    This looks AMAZING!