McKellen & Stewart Make Merchant Deal???

Two of the UK’s leading classical actors, Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, are tipped to star in a major new production of The Merchant of Venice. Sadly, for theatregoers at least, it’ll be on screen rather than stage. Unlike Michael Radford’s 2004 film version – set as per the original in 16th-century Venice and starring Al Pacino as Shylock and Jeremy Irons as Antonio – this new version will be set in modern Las Vegas, in a style similar to Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet. Stewart and McKellen have appeared on screen together in the X Men films. Both are also associate artists with the Royal Shakespeare Company and, after long absences from the company, will take part in next year’s Complete Works festival although in different productions - The Tempest and Antony and Cleopatra for Stewart, King Lear for McKellen (See News, 11 Jul 2005). On stage, Stewart, who is also producing the film, has played the role of Shylock in Shakespeare’s tale of greed and money-lending on numerous occasions.

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