Jeremy Irons Takes On 'Merchant Of Venice'

[Wednesday, November 12th, 2003]
Jeremy Irons will be replacing Ian McKellen in Michael Radford's bigscreen adaptation of The Merchant of Venice, according to Variety. Reportedly this is due to shooting delays that have caused conflicts with McKellen's schedule.

The project will see Al Pacino starring as Shylock, with newcomer Lynn Collins as Portia and Joseph Fiennes as Bassanio. Other cast members includes Zuleikha Robinson, Mackenzie Crook and Heather Goldenhersh.

The movie is based on Shakespeare's classic play of a rich merchant (Bassanio) in 16th century Venice who borrows money from a Jewish moneylender (Shylock) to help a friend woo a beautiful heiress (Portia). But the merchant faces mortal peril when he can't repay the debt.

The project, which has a $30 million budget, was originally scheduled for September. It will now start shooting on November 23 in Luxembourg.

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