Plus, more on why he’s making Exit West
To be or not to be?
ForRiz Ahmed, that’s no question.
He’ll suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune as Hamlet in a new adaptation of theShakespeareplay forNetflix.
Riz Ahmed.Frazer Harrison/Getty
He developed this version, which is set in contemporary London, with writer Mike Lesslie.
Ahmed tells EW he’s still hard at work on the project.
It’s a story about mental health.
As Hamlet clearly is in the Shakespeare play.
And it’s something that I think we’re hoping to make sooner rather than later."
And they’re most alive in the parts of society where you’d least think to look."
Ahmed points to the comfort of the Bard in challenging times as an explanation for his resurgence.
“When we’re at a crossroads as a society we start looking back for the blueprint, right?
For the owner’s instruction manual,” he notes.
“And I think that’s there with Shakespeare.”
“It’s a global story,” Ahmed says of why it’s a fit for Left Handed.
“It’s speaking to a global audience.
And it’s about right here, right now.
It’s a blend of genres.
It’s magical realism.
It’s an action thriller, and it’s a romantic story, all blended together.
It fits the mold of what we’re trying to do at Left Handed, which is go left.
In this case, both the play and the book is the thing.
Additional reporting by Leah Greenblatt
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