Jack Black has come a long way from his Tenacious beginnings. He’s proven himself as a master of comedy and even performed tolerably in a dramatic role in last year’s King Kong. Of course, he retreated from that immediately to the comedy of wrestling, but that doesn’t mean he’s not willing to continue stretching himself as an actor, so the next stop for Black? Shakespeare.

That’s right, Black is taking on the Bard, and not just a secondary role either. Black is going for the big mack-daddy of Shakespearian roles: MacBeth. Jack Black is currently in talks to don a kilt and play the misguided ruler, and the talks aren’t light either. Black is chatting with the considered authority on Shakespeare film adaptations – Kenneth Branagh.

There’s no indication of how Branagh would plan this rendition of MacBeth. Would he use Black’s musical abilities and stage it as a musical like he did Love’s Labour’s Lost or stage the entire production like he did Hamlet? And why is he considering Black for the role instead of himself, who he usually places in the leading roles of his Shakespearean adaptations? Does it come down to body hair or is it pressure from his partner on the endeavor April First?

Could we actually see Black performing iambic pentameter anytime soon? I don’t know if the world is ready for a Shakespeare-spouting Jack Black, but stranger things have happened… like the fact that last year’s joke ended up becoming partial reality when Topher Grace actually joined the cast of Spider-Man 3.