Pick a random bunch of names of actors out of a hat, and you might just come up with the cast of Julie Taymor's The Tempest, an adaptation of the Shakespeare play. Taymor, who set teen romance to Beatles songs last year with Across the Universe, is apparently set on breaking the rules from the first moment in this one; cast in the lead role of Prospero, the duke on the island, is Helen Mirren-- yes, Helen Mirren the lady.
The character will apparently be renamed Prospera, and will be surrounded by a seriously motley crew-- Jeremy Irons, Russell Brand, Ben Whishaw, Djimon Hounsou and maybe even Geoffrey Rush. The Hollywood Reporter says the movie will start filming this November in Hawaii, which means this bunch will almost certainly have a run-in with the Lost crew. Oh to see Helen Mirren, playing royalty once again, face off against Ben!
It's hard to know what to make of The Tempest, given that the cast is amazing, and Julie Taymor is a loony visionary, but that Across the Universe was also kind of a mess. If she incorporates The Others or Jacob at all, though, I'm totally in.
