Young Shakespeare is the star of this new TV series that gives the Bard the origin story treatment.
Everybody loves an origin story, right? We got to go back to the 60s and see how the X-Men were formed in First Class, we got to see how the xenomorphs came to be in Prometheus and soon we’re going to get a glimpse of Han Solo’s life before he did anything related to Jedis or the Empire. If all of those were exciting to you and not exhausting or repetitive, then get ready for the granddaddy of all origin stories: William Shakespeare.
TNT’s new drama series is Will, a series about the young playwright and poet as he bursts onto the theatre scene, ready to shake things up and make a name for himself. He meets Alice Burbage, a young woman banned from being an actress, and her self-obsessed brother Richard, who goes on to become Shakespeare’s frequent collaborator.
Check out the trailer for the show.
The story is going to be heavily updated for modern audiences, with a contemporary soundtrack and the London theatre scene described as “punk-rock.” Fans screaming his name, rumours and gossip abound, violence and romance: it’s like Shakespeare by way of Justin Bieber.
Newcomer Laurie Davidson will play young Shakespeare, with Jamie Campbell-Bower (The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones) as his rival Christopher Marlowe. Olivia DeJonge (The Visit) plays Alice and Mattias Inwood (The Shannara Chronicles) plays Richard.
Will is somewhat reminiscent of The Young Pope, with they way it’s transforming an often old and stuffy subject into a young, sexy and violent show. No way to tell if Will will be as entertaining as The Young Pope, but this might just be our new TV trend.
Next: The Young Pope Episode 5 Recap
Will is expected to debut on TNT in the summer of 2017.