Omar Sharif set to star in "King Lear"

By Siewaun
Reference: Variety

Egyptian veteran actor Omar Sharif who famously starred in "Doctor Zhivago," "Funny Girl" and "Lawrence of Arabia," will be starring in the big screen adaptation of William Shakespeare's classic tragedy "King Lear," which reset in modern-day Egypt.

French producer Frederic Sichler will develop and produce the movie through his Amana Creative banner. He is co-producing "King Lear" with Egypt's Gabriel Khoury's Misr International, while Egyptian state broadcaster Egypt National Broadcast Corp. is in negotiations to also co-produce.

Egyptian writer Khaled Al Khamissi "Taxi" will write the adaptation of the Shakespeare's classic.

Sichler was quoted as saying, "Shakespeare is an icon of European culture, Al Khamissi represents the best of a new generation of Arab writers, and Omar Sharif has been a bridge between our two worlds for half a century."

Sichler will announce in the coming weeks, the director who will take charge of shooting which will begin by the end of the year.