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Hamnet
Photograph: Shutterstock

Paul Mescal is playing William Shakespeare in a new film

He’s joining Jessie Buckley in Chloé Zhao’s adaptation of ‘Hamnet’

Phil de Semlyen
Written by
Phil de Semlyen
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If Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley sounds like a pretty dreamy on-screen combo, the prospect of the pair teaming up for a prestigious-looking new period drama should be one to get very excited about.

The Irish duo have just been casting in a new adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel ‘Hamnet’ that Nomadland director Chloé Zhao is co-writing and directing.

Set in the late 16th century and co-written by O’Farrell herself, it will follow William Shakespeare’s courtship of Anne Hathaway – who goes by ‘Agnes’ in the book – their marriage and subsequent death of their boy, Hamnet, aged 11.

Hamnet
Photograph: Hachette UK

Sure, the actual modern-day Anne Hathaway was right there, but The Lost Daughter star Buckley looks like a pretty spectacular choice for the lead role of Mrs Shakespeare.

No word on who Mescal is playing yet, but it seems likely he’ll be playing the Bard and become the first person in human history to look cool in a ruff. 

Zhao also has a Dracula movie in development at the moment with Robert Pattinson as the vampire legend, making for a busy, buzzy slate of projects for a filmmaker who seemed to have mislaid her mojo a little with Marvel’s drab The Eternals.

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