Two clips have surfaced from the new adaptation of Macbeth starring Michael Fassbender (Slow West) and Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night). The clips show Macbeth’s (Fassbender) coronation ceremony and the beginning of the battle between Macbeth and Macduff’s (Sean Harris, ’71) armies.
Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most well-known tragedies. The play follows Macbeth, who, after hearing a prophecy from three witches, murders his own king, Duncan (David Thewlis, Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban), with help from his wife (Cotillard) and inherits the throne for himself. The guilt makes both Macbeth and his wife delirious leading to aggressive legislation as well as a rebellion from Duncan’s son, Macduff, which results in war.
Macbeth has been brought to the screen a number of times, including Akira Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood, which brought the story to feudal Japan, Orson Wells’ 1948 version, and Roman Polanski’s more faithful version from 1971.
Director Justin Kurzel’s (The Snowtown Murders) most recent version premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. The Weinstein Company acquired the U.S. distribution rights back in October. No release date has been announced, but given The Weinstein Company’s history and the source material, they will likely release it in the fall to be in prime position for awards consideration. You can check out the clips below.