Two of the great contemporary actors are teaming up for an adaptation of a Tennessee Williams play. However, one of them will be behind the camera instead. Ethan Hawke has signed on to direct Juliette Binoche in an adaptation of Williams’ 1953 play, Camino Real.
The play is set in a quasi-nihilistic, surreal, isolated town in a tropical climate. Surrounded by a narrative of love and burlesque dancing, the characters confront their existence and purpose. One of the major themes of the play is coming to terms with the thought of growing older and possibly becoming irrelevant.
Hawke wrote the adaptation with writer/composer Shelby Gaines, and their version will have a contemporary setting. Hawke previously starred in a stage production of the play himself. Passage Pictures will produce the film, which is expected to shoot in Rio de Janeiro next year.
With the amount of films decreasing, yet budgets ballooning, it’s good to see small projects like this move forward. Most studios aren’t tapping Tennessee Williams plays as their next big tentpole release. Binoche starring and Hawke directing is certainly something worth getting excited about.
Hawke will next be seen in Logan Marshall-Green‘s Adopt A Highway, and RZA‘s Cut Throat City. Binoche, having just starred in Claire Denis‘ brilliant High Life, will star in Hirokazu Kore-eda‘s upcoming drama, The Truth.
#Peace.Love.CaminoReal
