Ethan Hawke will return to the world of Shakespeare in a modern-day adaptation of one of the Bard's less heralded plays, "Cymbeline."
Michael Almereyda will write and adapt the film, which will be fully financed through Benaroya Pictures. The pair previously collaborated on a 2000 adaptation of "Hamlet," that re-imagined the Danish prince as the vacillating member of a family of corporate barons.
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Expect even more dramatic liberties this time around. "Cymbeline" will center on an epic battle between dirty cops and a drug-dealing biker gang, its backers said. That sounds a far cry from the original text, which centered on a tragic romance set against a backdrop of warring Romans and Celtic nobility.
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It also transplants the action to the Big Apple. Principal photography will begin in August.
Hawke has been on a roll of late. His low-budget horror film "The Purge" was a breakout hit at the summer box office, and his romantic drama "Before Midnight" scored with critics.