Production is under way on the new Shakespearean adaptation of King Lear, dubbed Lear Rex, the first look of Al Pacino as Lear surfacing.
Pacino, 84, was spotted on the Los Angeles set donning kingly attire on Wednesday, just over a month after filming first got under way, just after his 30-year-old girlfriend Noor Alfallah called him, ‘an amazing father.’
Also spotted on the set was Stephen Dorff in a fully grungy costume as Poor Tom in the adaptation.
While not spotted on the set Wednesday, the cast also includes Jessica Chastain (Goneril), Ariana DeBose (Cordelia), Rachel Brosnahan as Regan, LaKeith Stanfield as Edmund, Chris Messina as the Duke of Cornwall, Ted Levine as the Earl of Kent, Danny Huston as Duke of Albany, Matthew Jacobs as Duke of Cornwall and Rhys Coiro as Oswald.
It’s unclear how long filming will take place for, or if a release plan is in place for the film, written and directed by Bernard Rose (Anna Karenina, Candyman).
Production is under way on the new Shakespearean adaptation of King Lear, dubbed Lear Rex, the first look of Al Pacino as Lear surfacing
Stephen Dorff was also spotted on set as Poor Tom
Pacino was seen in a black tunic under an ornate purple robe with gold trim for his day on the set.
The actor’s grey hair was rather unkempt as he sported a grey beard for the role as well for the day on set.
He accessorized with several gold rings with a regal walking staff that the actor carried throughout the set as well.
Dorff wore a ratty green one-piece garment affixed to one shoulder as the makeup showcased his grimy persona.
He also sported numerous face tattoos on his arms and had a visible wound on his left leg while wearing a pair of brown sandals.
The actor was also seen smoking a cigarette between takes with a black wrap around his legs.
Pacino previously starred in the 2004 Shakespeare adaptation The Merchant of Venice.
He also reunites with producer Barry Navidi, who he worked with on Wilde Salomé (2011), Salomé (2013) and Modi (2024).
Pacino – who previously starred in the 2004 Shakespeare adaptation The Merchant of Venice – was seen in a black tunic under an ornate purple robe with gold trim
He accessorized with several gold rings with a regal walking staff that the actor carried throughout the set as well.
Dorff wore a ratty green one-piece garment affixed to one shoulder as the makeup showcased his grimy persona.
He also sported numerous face tattoos on his arms and had a visible wound on his left leg while wearing a pair of brown sandals.
The actor was also seen smoking a cigarette between takes with a black wrap around his legs
The story follows an aging King Lear who divides his kingdom between his three daughters.
Instead of trusting the one daughter who truly cares for him, Lear places his trust into her nefarious sisters.
They strip him of his power and, ‘condemn him to a wretched wasteland of horror and insanity,’ according to the description.
The play has been revived on and off Broadway numerous times, most recently being the 2019 Broadway gender-flipped adaptation starring Glenda Jackson as Lear, Ruth Wilson as The Food and Pedro Pascal as Edmund.
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