Actress Danai Gurira, who is best known for her roles as General Okoye in Marvel’s Black Panther, and AMC’s The Walking Dead will be taking a major role as Richard III in this summer’s Shakespeare in the Park theater play, as reported by Deadline.
The Public Theater production, part of the Free Shakespeare 60th anniversary season, will be directed by Robert O’Hara, a Tony nominee for Broadway’s Slave Play. Actress Danai Gurira will join the cast of the play and interpret one of the most iconic villains in theater history, King Richard III.
Artistic director Oskar Eustis said in a statement, “Shakespeare’s Richard created the model for politics as an extension of show business – with devastating results. As always, Shakespeare seems to be speaking directly into our contemporary dreams and nightmares. Our dearly beloved Darai Gurira will be giving us her version of this extraordinary character.”
Gurira has portrayed General Okoye in several Marvel movies such as Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and the Disney+ show What if…? as well as the katana-swinging zombie apocalypse survivor Michonne for seven full seasons on The Walking Dead. The actress is no stranger to the theater given that’s where her career started. She is the author of the Tony-nominated play Eclipse.
Free Shakespeare in the Park will be held in Central Park in New York City in June with tickets sold on the same day.
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