Noomi Rapace to star in gender-swapped adaptation of William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Noomi Rapace is set to star in a gender-swapped big-screen adaptation of William Shakespeare's Hamlet.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo star will play the lead in the upcoming drama, with Swedish-Danish-Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi helming the project.

The playwright's tale focuses on the ghost of the King of Denmark, who tells his son Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, to avenge his murder by killing the new king, Hamlet's uncle, prompting the young royal to descend into madness.
It is understood that Rapace will be playing a female version of the Prince of Denmark in the new movie.

Icelandic novelist and poet Sjo´n is writing the project, with Stine Meldgaard Madsen producing for Danish firm Meta Film.

"Hamlet is a dream project in its purest and most explosive way. I've been hoping, dreaming, wishing for this as long as I've been an actress," Rapace said in a statement. "Ali, Sjón and Meta are for me creatives on the highest level. They're truly brave and groundbreaking in their different areas and always on top of their game.

"To take on a Danish story with a Scandinavian touch and bring it out into the world with this group of people is a dream," the Prometheus actress added.

Abbasi, who made his feature film debut in 2016 with horror movie Shelley, joked that Shakespeare would be appalled at his plans to bring the tragic tale of the Prince of Denmark to the big screen.

"Shakespeare stole the Hamlet story from us. Now it's our turn to claim it back and make a version so insane and so bloody that make him turn in his grave. Let's make Hamlet great again!" he quipped.

Shooting is set to begin in autumn 2021.