Is Riz Ahmed going to be the new Hamlet in Netflix's upcoming production?
Looks like Riz Ahmed is finally bagging his dream role!
Deadline reports that the Emmy-winning actor is gearing up for a feature role and it will be one of Shakespeare’s most iconic characters. Netflix has approached Ahmed to star in the upcoming contemporary adaptation of Hamlet. The version was developed by the actor with writer Mike Lesslie (Macbeth, Assassins Creed), whom he’d known from college.
And it's a role he's wanted for a while:
Set in a modern-day London, the story will follow themes of honour, morality and dynastic corruption. Jim Wilson will produce and Netflix will finance and distribute.
Read: Riz Ahmed makes TIME's 100 most influental people list
Ahmed is one of Hollywood's brightest rising stars. He will be seen next in Annapurna's The Sisters Brothers and Sony's Spider-Man spinoff Venom in which he will star opposite Tom Hardy. The English actor was last seen in the Star Wars stand-alone Rogue One.
Recently, Ahmed made history by becoming the first man of South Asian descent to take home an Emmy, winning for his role in HBO's The Night Of.