Production-begins-on-MacbethThe rise of Michael Fassbender has been one of the best things to see in recent years, with his acclaimed performance in 12 Years a Slave earning him the Oscar nomination he was robbed of on Steve McQueen’s Shame. Now the actor is turning his sights to Shakespeare, in Justin Kurzel’s adaptation of the classic tragedy, Macbeth.

StudioCanal have announced that production on Macbeth is officially underway, with ScreenDaily revealing that the film is set to shoot for seven weeks in England and Scotland.

Fassbender takes the lead as the titular general-turned-King of Scotland, with Marion Cotillard, Sean Harris, Paddy Considine, David Thewlis, Jack Reynor, and Elizabeth Debicki starring alongside him.

Cotillard of course takes the female lead as Lady Macbeth, with Harris taking on the role of Macduff and Considine playing Banquo.

Macbeth is the story of a fearless warrior and inspiring leader brought low by ambition and desire. A thrilling interpretation of the dramatic realities of the times and a truthful reimagining of what wartime must have really been like for one of Shakespeare’s most famous and compelling characters, a story of all-consuming passion and ambition set in war-torn 11th Century Scotland.

Kurzel, the award-winning director behind his lauded feature debut Snowtown, returns behind the camera for his sophomore feature, directing from a script by Jacob Koskoff and Todd Louiso (The Marc Pease Experience).

Oscar-winning producers Emile Sherman and Iain Canning (The King’s Speech) reunite with Fassbender following McQueen’s Shame and the upcoming Western thriller, Slow West, producing alongside another of Fassbender’s past collaborators, Laura Hastings-Smith (Hunger).

Shakespeare’s work has been adapted for the big screen probably more times than any other writer in history, with recent highlights including Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing and Ralph Fiennes’ Coriolanus.

Given the tremendous cast Kurzel has assembled for this latest adaptation, you can only expect that we’re in for a real treat here.

No word yet on when we can expect to see Kurzel’s take on Macbeth in cinemas, but it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if it’s given an awards run whenever it does, with StudioCanal releasing in the UK and The Weinstein Company distributing in the US.