22/08/2013 - Marion Cotillard replaces Natalie Portman as Lady Macbeth. Michael Fassbender plays the troubled Scottish king

Australian director Justin Kurzel will direct the latest adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Michael Fassbender will play the troubled Scottish king and Marion Cotillard replaces Natalie Portman as the conniving Lady Macbeth. Iain Canning and Emile Sherman via See-Saw Films, the company that produced The King’s Speech [+see also:
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Kurzel said, “I feel extremely blessed that Marion is joining our film. She is one of the bravest and most compelling actors I have watched in recent years and I cannot wait to collaborate with both her and Michael in bringing to screen this very human and tragic love story.”

StudioCanal Chairman and CEO Olivier Courson said, “We are very pleased to be financing Macbeth which deftly brings contemporary themes to an iconic story. Justin Kurzel is a rare and distinct talent all of us at StudioCanal have admired for some time and are happy to be able to accompany him in this film.”

Iain Canning and Emile Sherman added, “StudioCanal and Film4 are the perfect partners for us on Macbeth, having responded so quickly and passionately to the material. Like us, they are committed to Justin Kurzel’s energetic and modern themed take on a timeless story.”

There have been several previous Macbeth film adaptations, notably by Roman Polanski and Orson Welles.