Rama’s SCREEN

My first amateur/non-paid-gig acting experience was in a school play back when I was in College. It was for the English Dept. production and the story was Shakespeare’s classic THE TEMPEST. I literally had no idea what it was about until I finally got the part… and even after the show, I’m not sure I understood it then.
My role was King Alonso, those of you who are into English literature or in this case Ancient English literature would know who exactly that character is. But enough with the memory lane. Time for Hollywood’s usual habit… a re-imagining.

The Director of Across The Universe, Julie Taymor is going to make a movie version of THE TEMPEST but it’s going to have a big twist..
and the twist is,.. the character Prospero, an exiled duke-turned-sorcerer a.k.a male will now be a female and will be played by the great Helen Mirren (The Queen) and the name will be changed into Prospera.

Mirren will not be the only Oscar winning performers in this big screen adaptation. Geoffrey Rush (Shine) is going to play Gonzalo, and Jeremy Irons will be playing the character I played, Alonso.
I’m not sure why Taymor had to go through the trouble of casting him, she could’ve just easily called me, I would’ve gladly picked up the phone and agreed to reprise the role.
The African mighty Djimon Honsou (Blood Diamond) will play the deformed slave Caliban
and Alfred Molina (Frida) is set to play the drunken butler Stephano.

Now, that’s not all. Taymor team up a bunch of great experienced people with… the less experienced but talented young people including comedian Russell Brand (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) as Trinculo, Ben Wishaw as the airy spirit Ariel, and Felicity Jones as Prospera’s daughter Miranda

Quite an interesting formula, isn’t it, I’m sure the young ones are extraordinarily excited and honored to be able to have the chance to work with the best of the best, people who really know what acting is all about.
I have a feeling this movie will not entirely be similar to the version we did back in College.

Here’s the brief plot of the original THE TEMPEST that this movie is based on..
King Alonso of Naples and his entourage sail home for Italy after attending his daughter’s wedding in Tunis, Africa. They encounter a violent storm, or Tempest. Everyone jumps overboard and are washed ashore on a strange island inhabited by the magician Prospero who has deliberately conjured up the storm. Prospero and Miranda live in a cave on the island which is also inhabited by Ariel, a sprite who carries out the bidding of Prospero, and the ugly, half human Caliban. Various plots against the main characters fail thanks to the magic of Prospero. The play ends with all the plotters repenting the Tempest is calmed.

If you’re in the English/drama community, how do you feel about Hollywood’s Helen Mirren playing Prospera?