[Jan Brock]

Best Actor/Director pairing to do King Lear in a future hypothetical production, with the restriction that neither must have done the play before.

Derek Jacobi/Michael Grandage
Michael Pennington/Terry Hands
Ian McDiarmid/Michael Boyd
Patrick Stewart/Rupert Goold

and just to pre-empt those not taking this entirely seriously

Fiona Shaw/Deborah Warner

[richard]

Best Actor/Director pairing to do King Lear in a future hypothetical production, with the restriction that neither must have done the play before.

Derek Jacobi/Michael Grandage
Michael Pennington/Terry Hands
Ian McDiarmid/Michael Boyd
Patrick Stewart/Rupert Goold

and just to pre-empt those not taking this entirely seriously

Fiona Shaw/Deborah Warner

John Shrapnel (there's a great actor) with Gregory Doran (if he hasn't done a Lear).

[Edagar]

Looking at how they've worked together before:

Antony Sher/Gregory Doran

Ian McDiarmid/Jonathan Kent

I imagine Michael Gambon will have another go, and Antony Hopkins too.

[tsaurus]

Pete Postlethwaite as Lear - he was a tremendous Cornwall in the Gambon/Noble Lear back in the mid 80s, but as far as I know has never assailed Lear. As for a director, tough call... I want someone who will make me re-evaluate what I think I know about this play - Rupert Goold would probably do a good job, or what about having Kneehigh produce it?? (This will probably get howls of protest from those who hated their recent 'Cymbeline')

[Jan Brock]

Jonathan Kent has already directed it. (Likewise Deborah Warner in my previous suggestion). Here's another obvious pairing:

Simon Russel-Beale/Sam Mendes.

[JWC]

Jonathan Pryce / Rufus Norris

[Tootsie]

After seeing The Tempest - surely and exciting Lear casting would be Patrick Stewart directed by Rupert Goold?

[armadillo]

Didn't Terry Hands direct Lear for Theatre Clwyd?

[Jan Brock]

Didn't Terry Hands direct Lear for Theatre Clwyd?

Maybe. It's odd that none of his productions seem to transfer to London, unlike a lot of other good regional theatre productions.

[armadillo]

It had Nicol Williamson, not the most reliable of actors for a potential long-run!