‘Hamnet’: Filmmaker Chloé Zhao Enlists Paul Mescal & Jessie Buckley For Fictional Shakespeare Drama

“Nomadland” filmmaker Chloé Zhao is coming off a massive win at the 2021 Academy Awards as the acclaimed drama earned statues for Best Director and Best Picture. Shortly after, she released “Eternals,” which didn’t really excite audiences as much as she would have liked. Now, film fans are wondering what’s next? Well, one of her upcoming projects is a feature film adaptation of the fictional novel “Hamnet,” from author Maggie O’Farrell, and the director is looking to add two talented actors for lead roles in the drama.

READ MORE: ‘Hamnet’: Chloe Zhao To Direct New Film About Shakespeare’s Wife

Deadline has revealed that Irish actors Paul Mescal (“Aftersun“) and Jessie Buckley (“Women Talking“) are now in talks to play the lead roles, which are expected to be fictional versions of playwright William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes. The pic is being produced by Steven Spielberg‘s Amblin Partners and Sam Mendes‘ Neal Street Productions.

Zhao is working alongside original writer O’Farrell on the script. The author being from Northern Ireland might explain why the director looking to cast two high-profile Irish actors to play the roles. The book the film will be based on focuses on Agnes, as she struggles to deal with the loss of her only son, Hamnet.

Zhao is increasingly busy as other projects in the works are a sci-fi/western hybrid Dracula film for Universal, she signed a multi-year deal with Searchlight Television, and there had been various rumblings of her returning for an “Eternals” sequel. Although, the latter has yet to be made official by Marvel. Mescal’s dance card is filling up as he’s already leading Ridley Scott‘s “Gladiator 2,” the Richard Linklater musical “Merrily We Roll Along” and has been rumored for a Marvel role despite expressing his own doubts about making the jump to the MCU. Buckley was recently seen in the Oscar-winning film “Women Talking,” by Canadian writer/director Sarah Polley, with upcoming films such as “Fingernails” at Apple and worked with Olivia Colman in “Wicked Little Letters.”

We’ll be extremely curious to see who else they’ll attempt to get for supporting roles.