Riz Ahmed in Talks to Play the Title Role in Netflix’s ‘Hamlet’
Riz Ahmed (Rogue One, The Night Of) is in talks to play the title role in Netflix’s Hamlet based on William Shakespeare’s play of the same name, with a contemporary twist.
Mike Lesslie, the scribe for 2015’s Macbeth starring Michael Fassbender in the title role, is set to write the adaptation for Netflix. The Shakespearean tragedy is said to be set in modern-day London under the circumstances of political and economic uncertainty. James Wilson (Attack the Block) is set to produce.
Michael Fassbender recently played the role in 2015’s Hamlet
Riz Ahmed is set to be the latest actor to play the lead role of Hamlet that was most recently played by Oscar Isaac on stage and Michael Fassbender on the big screen. If Riz Ahmed is indeed confirmed to play the role, he would be the first actor of South Asian descent to take on the iconic role. Riz Ahmed was most recently the first South Asian to win Best Actor at the Emmys for his role as Nasir ‘Naz’ Khan in HBO’s The Night Of.
Riz Ahmed is one of the most in-demand stars in Hollywood right now having notched up an impressive filmography from his role in Nightcrawler to Rogue One. He was recently cast in Sony’s Spider-Man spinoff Venom starring opposite Tom Hardy and Michelle Williams.
Riz Ahmed is also a rapper as a duo with Heems in the Swet Shop Boys, having also released a mixtape titled Englistan exploring themes of identity.
You can catch Riz Ahmed next in The Sisters Brothers (2018) opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Joaquin Phoenix.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
