Two co-stars, not quite alike in dignity. British newbie Douglas Booth has been cast as Romeo in Carlo Carlei’s version of the bard’s tale. Booth, 19, will star alongside True Grit’s Oscar nominee Hailee Steinfeld, 14 as the starcrossed lovers. The talented young cast also includes Ed Westwick (Gossip Girl) as Tybalt and Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road) as Mercutio.
Booth enters the project largely as an unknown- his prior credits include a role in Starz’s Pillars of the Earth, and little else. His upcoming role in Romeo and Juliet, along with his appearence in the new Miley Cyrus film LOL might make him a name, however. Romeo and Juliet is also the first English-language film for director Carlo Carlei since 1995’s Fluke.
Steinfeld’s casting signaled a younger-leaning cast for the film, perhaps echoing Franco Zeffirelli’s famous 1968 version with a 15-year old lead. Casting actual teens seems appropriate for the story, seeped as it is in age-specific emotional angst, but who knows if this will translate to acting talent. Between this remake and the upcoming Hunger Games film, the next few years will be full of a lot of teens stabbing each other to death.
Source: Cinema Blend
