MUMBAI: Director Baz Luhrmann, who recently worked with Leonardo DiCaprio in ‘The Great Gatsby‘, wants to cast the star in ‘Hamlet‘. The 50-year-old Luhrmann has already worked with DiCaprio twice before and he now wants him in his next project as well.
 
According to The Hollywood Reporter Luhrmann said, "To me, Gatsby is the American Hamlet. What else could we possibly do as a follow-up?" He admits that it‘s presently just wishful thinking, but tackling Shakespeare‘s most complicated male character would be a fitting third entry for the actor/director duo.
 
Hamlet has been a staple of the theatre, and in turn, the cinema since the early days of film. The classic 1948 version saw Laurence Olivier become the first person to direct himself to a best actor Oscar.
 
Recent versions include Kenneth Branagh‘s breathtaking 242-minute 1996 adaptation, a 2000 modernized version starring Ethan Hawke, and Disney‘s The Lion King, which draws heavily from the play‘s story beats. On the TV side, Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter has noted the connections between his biker show and Hamlet, while a number of networks are currently in developments on their own Shakespearean series riffs.
 
The Great Gatsby is slated for a release in the US on 10 May and in UK on 16 May.