Is Kenneth Branagh the next JJ Abrams? No, but he's somehow managed to pull of making and preparing to release an entire film with little warning. Shakespearian tale All Is True, which Branagh directed and stars in, also features Judi Dench and Ian McKellen.
Yes, while we all thought Sir Ken was off making Artemis Fowl, he's also managed to channel the likes of Joss Whedon and squeeze in the Shakespearian drama, which features a script by Ben Elton. Who, let's not forget, has spent the last few years milking the bard for laughs via the Beeb's Upstart Crow. He also appeared in Branagh's Much Ado About Nothing in 1993.
Branagh here plays Shakespeare, with Dench as his wife Anne and McKellen as the Earl of Southampton. The story is set in 1613, with Shakespeare acknowledged as the greatest writer of the age. But his renowned Globe Theatre burns to the ground, and Shakespeare returns to Stratford, where he must face a troubled past and a neglected family. Haunted by the death of his only son Hamnet, he struggles to mend the broken relationships with his wife and daughters and is forced to examine his own failings as husband and father.
And how do we know the film that at the time of writing, wasn't even on the IMDB is on the way? Sony Pictures Classics picked up rights to distribute it worldwide. "We have known and worked with Ken for 25 years," the company says in a statement. "We feel this is a movie he was destined to make. He conjures up for us the depth and dramatic richness of a character about whom we have always been fascinated. What we have seen has confirmed our excitement to plan a qualifying run at the end of this year and to open the movie fully in the new year. We believe audiences will embrace the freshness of All Is True." Well, he does like a little bit of Shakespeare...
The film has landed an awards-qualifying 21 December release across the pond, with a more general date to follow in 2019. Next week: Mike Leigh announces he's signed on to make a new Iron Man movie, relocating the story to Brexit-struggling South Wales.
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