The small screen adaptation of Shakespeare’s King Lear begins streaming September 28 on Amazon Prime. Produced by Tony-winning producers Colin Callender and Sonia Friedman (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), the Richard Eyre-directed film is a contemporary take on the Bard’s drama.
The film premieres on BBC Two in the U.K., while Amazon co-produces and will present it in the U.S. and Germany.
Starring as the title royal (in a fictional present) is Anthony Hopkins. Emma Thompson stars as his eldest daughter Goneril, with Emily Watson as his middle daughter Regan and Florence Pugh as his youngest daughter Cordelia.
King Lear also features Jim Broadbent, Andrew Scott, and John Macmillan. The cast also features Jim Carter, Christopher Eccleston, Tobias Menzies, Anthony Calf, Karl Johnson, Simon Manyonda, Chukwudi Iwuji, and Samuel Valentine.
Hopkins is best known for his Oscar-winning portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs. Thomspon has won two Oscars—for Howards End and Sense and Sensibility.