Al Pacino to star as King Lear in new film adaptation

Character is considered as one of the most coveted and iconic roles

Al Pacino to star in Quentin Tarantino's new film. (Credit: Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images)

Al Pacino will star as King Lear in a new film adaptation of Shakespeare’s play, it has been confirmed.

According to the Guardian, the Oscar-winning actor will be directed by Michael Radford – who worked with Pacino in 2004’s The Merchant of Venice where the actor played Shylock – in the story of a once-great monarch who descends into madness.

“Lear is the one that everyone aims for. Al has been toying with the idea for a long time. There’s a difference between Shylock, who’s only in five scenes, and Lear, who is in every scene, pretty much,” Radford said in a statement.

“It’s enormous. I think [Pacino] would like to have that kind of kudos because he’s a terrific actor.”

Producer Barry Navidi, who also worked on The Merchant of Venice, said: “Before, we had the passion and the desire, but we never had a start date. We all have the energy to do [King Lear] now. We’re creating, hopefully, an epic.

“Michael and Al are going to stick to the original poetry. But a lot is to do with the delivery and the visuals. How Michael combines it and makes it more accessible, it becomes naturalistic rather than forced.”

Pacino made his name as a Hollywood star in films such as The Godfather and Scarface. King Lear is considered one of the world’s most coveted roles, performed by greats including Laurence Olivier, Orson Welles and Sir Ian McKellen. Rumours that Pacino would take on the task have circulated for almost a decade.

Pacino is next slated to appear in Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman and Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, in which he’ll play the agent of Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, Rick Dalton.