Riz MC Set to Play Hamlet in New Netflix Movie

Riz Ahmed, a.k.a. Riz MC, continues to make moves following his big Emmy win this past September. According to the folks at Deadline, the rapper/actor is close to sealing a deal to play the eponymous lead role in a Netflix adaptation of William Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Riz has developed this new Netflix adaptation with a college friend, writer Mike Lesslie, who's also worked on things like Assassins Creed. Riz and Lesslie's Hamlet will be a contemporary adaptation set in London against the backdrop of a volatile financial climate. Like the original play, their version will "follow the intersecting themes of familial honor, moral duty and dynastic corruption."

Jim Wilson, who's been involved in works like Under the Skin, Attack the Block and You Were Never Really There, is all set to produce. Obviously, the folks at Netflix will handle the distribution duties. There's no word on when Riz MC's plans with Netflix will be finalized.

For Riz, who operates as one-half of the rap duo Swet Shop Boys with Heems, this news marks yet another entry into what's been a blossoming acting career. Over the last year and some change, he's appeared in films like Jason Bourne and Rogue One. When Time named Riz one of the top 100 most influential people of 2017 by TIME, Hamilton scribe Lin-Manuel Miranda spoke on his accomplishments.

"Look, Riz Ahmed has been quietly pursuing every passion and opportunity for many years as an actor (The Road to Guantánamo, Four Lions, Nightcrawler), rapper ("Post 9/11 Blues," "Englistan") and activist (raising funds for Syrian refugee children, advocating representation at the House of Commons)," Miranda said in his write-up for Riz MC.

Miranda continued, "To know him is to be inspired, engaged and ready to create alongside him. The year 2016 was when all the seeds he planted bore glorious fruit, and here's the best part: he's just getting started."

Be on the look out for more awesome new work from Riz MC.

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