The upcoming A24 film The Tragedy of Macbeth is an interesting project. Beyond starring Denzel Washington as the titular character and Francis McDormand as his power-hungry wife Lady Macbeth, along with being in black and white, the film is the first solo directing effort for one-half of the Coen Brothers, namely Joel Coen. Though McDormand argues their adaptation of William Shakespeare's play will have a different interpretation to it:
“I think a very important thing about Joel’s adaptation is that we are not calling it Macbeth,” McDormand said in a previous interview. “We’re calling it The Tragedy of Macbeth, which I think is an important distinction. In Joel’s adaptation, we are exploring the age of the characters and in our adaptation, the Macbeths are older. Both Denzel and I are older than what is often cast as the Macbeths. We’re postmenopausal, we’re past childbearing age. So that puts a pressure on their ambition to have the crown. I think the most important distinction is that it is their last chance for glory.”
While the film will have a worldwide release in theaters to qualify it for the Oscars, it's been confirmed today that the film will also globally launch on the streaming service Apple TV+. This is, without a doubt, the biggest acquisition by Apple (and the film will be released under the Apple Original Films banner) following their $200 million investment last year in Martin Scorsese's next project, Killers of the Flower Moon. They also bought the Sundance darling CODA for a record-setting amount. All three films are expected to be contenders that Apple pushes for in the next award season .
The Tragedy of Macbeth co-stars Bertie Carvel, Alex Hassell, Corey Hawkins, Kathryn Hunter, Harry Melling, and Brendan Gleeson. Stay tuned!