‘Anarchy’ Trailer: The Gritty Shakespeare Adaptation Formerly Known as ‘Cymbeline’

Not long ago we brought you the trailer for ‘Cymbeline,’ the upcoming dark ‘n gritty contemporary take on the William Shakespeare play of the same name—well, not anymore. ‘Cymbeline’ has been given the new title ‘Anarchy,’ which doesn’t really scream “Shakespeare,” though it does sound like a pretty cool title if you’re living on the edge in high school in 1996.

‘Anarchy’ tells the story of a biker gang* waging all-out war against crooked cops, and the desperate drug lord who has no choice but to enter the fray. If you’re familiar at all with Shakespeare’s ‘Cymbeline’ (or Shakespeare in general), this sounds…nothing like that story, which is a complex tale of royal betrayal and deception. And beheadings. And poison (because it’s Shakespeare). It’s actually similar in many ways to ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ but much more intense.

This contemporary version was directed by Michael Almereyda, who previously directed ‘Anarchy’ star Ethan Hawke in a modern re-telling of ‘Hamlet.’ Along with Hawke, the cast includes Milla Jovovich, Ed Harris, John Leguizamo, Penn Badgley, Dakota Johnson, Anton Yelchin, and Bill Pullman. That’s a rather intriguing cast, even if the trailers aren’t exactly inspiring much interest.

And maybe now that Ethan Hawke has been nominated for both a Golden Globe and an Oscar this year for his supporting performance in ‘Boyhood,’ more people will want to see ‘Anarchy.’ Shakespeare goes gritty (again) when ‘Anarchy’ hits theaters and VOD on March 13.

*Maybe they switched the title to ‘Anarchy’ because it features a biker gang, like, you know, ‘Sons of Anarchy.’ Not everyone is familiar with Shakespeare these days, but most people are familiar with gritty FX dramas.