Anthony Hopkins & Emma Thompson to Lead King Lear TV Movie

Anthony Hopkins (The Dresser, Nixon, Silence of the Lambs) and Emma Thompson (The Children Act, The Remains of the Day, Sense and Sensibility) lead an all-star cast in the upcoming production of Shakespeare’s King Lear, which is being produced for BBC Two and Amazon Prime Video.

King Lear comes from Playground Productions and Sonia Friedman Productions and is being adapted and directed by Richard Eyre (The Dresser, Notes on a Scandal). Set in the fictional present, King Lear sees Hopkins as the eponymous ruler, presiding over a totalitarian military dictatorship in England. Thompson stars as his oldest daughter Goneril.

Emily Watson (Theory of Everything, Genius) stars as his middle daughter Regan, and rising star Florence Pugh (Lady Macbeth, Marcella) as Cordelia, the youngest of Lear’s children. Jim Broadbent (Iris, Game of Thrones) takes the role of the Earl of Gloucester, Andrew Scott (Sherlock, The Hollow Crown) as his loyal son Edgar and John Macmillan (Hanna, Chewing Gum) as his illegitimate son Edmund.

The film for television is commissioned by the BBC and will premiere on BBC Two in the U.K. in 2018. Amazon Studios is co-producing and taking U.S. and German rights. Amazon Prime Video will also air the drama in the U.K., following the BBC’s run.

“It is a tribute to the great Richard Eyre that we have brought together such a remarkable cast,” said executive producers Colin Callender and Sonia Friedman. “The film is a testament to the BBC’s ongoing commitment to the single drama, and we are very appreciative of their continued support. We are particularly excited to be working with Amazon and their support for the film reflects their emergence as a leading global brand of top quality drama.”

Piers Wenger, the controller of BBC Drama, said: “Richard Eyre has assembled an unmissable cast to embody his vision for a timeless but deeply resonant screen adaptation of King Lear. We are all looking forward to seeing this landmark production come to life on BBC Two.”

“Playground has an incredible track record of producing award-worthy series and films, and we are delighted to work with them and SFP on bringing such a star-studded, exciting adaptation to Prime members,” said Brad Beale, the VP of worldwide TV content acquisition at Amazon Prime Video.