Ralph Fiennes is making his directorial debut with a feature adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Roman tragedy “Coriolanus.”
Fiennes, who stars in Stephen Daldry’s “The Reader” alongside Oscar-nommed Kate Winslet, has already scouted for locations in East Europe and is currently in negotiations with financiers.
Shakespeare’s play, set in the early years of the Roman Republic, is one of his most politically challenging examinations of the way power corrupts.
Fiennes will also play the title role of the proud but contemptuous soldier spurred on by his ambitious mother to run for the Roman Senate, which ultimately leads to his downfall.
Vanessa Redgrave is in talks to play the part of Coriolanus’ mother Volumnia.