She’s one of the best things in Les Miserables and a pretty good bet for Best Supporting Actress at this year’s Oscars, but can Anne Hathaway handle some of the most beautiful language ever written? We’ll soon find out (I think), because Hathaway is in talks to appear in a new modern adaptation of William Shakespeare’s The Taming Of The Shrew.
The adaptation is being handled by Shame screenwriter Abi Morgan, with production duties falling to Debra Hayward and Working Title Films. That’s about all we know so far, except that it’s going to a ‘modern’ version of the story, which has definitely never been … wait. What about 10 Things I Hate About You? That’s Taming of the Shrew, kiddies. What is going on here?
Truth is, we don’t know, except that Hathaway is going to star. No one seems to mention whether this is a reimagining a la 10 Things – taking the plot but eliminating all that lovely language – or closer to something like Ethan Hawke’s Hamlet or Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet. If it’s the latter – and I hope it is, because otherwise what’s the point? – then Hathaway has her work cut out for her. Contrary to popular film, not everyone can handle Shakespeare.
Not everyone can handle The Taming of the Shrew either. It’s a tough play, one that’s had accusations of misogyny leveled against it time and again. Controversy is nothing new in Shakespeare adaptations and this one should be easier than Merchant of Venice, which was just embarassing, but not by much. It takes a pretty nuanced actress to play Katherine without making her seem too … shrewish.
Maybe Hathaway’s up for it. She surprised me in Les Miserables, after all. I will be interested to see who they get for the other roles, Petruchio in particular. With Morgan doing the adapting, there’s a good chance this will turn out to be all right.
What do you think? Is Hathaway trying to do too much or will she make an excellent Katherine? Let us know in the comments.
