Full casting for the filmed production of Romeo & Juliet is announced as a first look image is released.

The National Theatre’s feature film production of William Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy is set to air on Easter Sunday 4th April at 9pm on Sky Arts in the UK and Friday 23rd April at 9pm on PBS in the US.

Directed by Simon Godwin, the cast is led by Josh O’Connor as Romeo and Jessie Buckley as Juliet. They will be joined Fisayo Akinade
as Mercutio, Deborah Findlay as the Nurse, Tamsin Greig as Lady Capulet, Lucian Msamati as theFriar, Shubham Saraf as Benvolio, David Judge as Tybalt, Alex Mugnaioni as Paris and Ellis Howard as Sampson. Meanwhile, new additions to the cast include Adrian Lester (Life, Undercover) as
the Prince, Lloyd Hutchinson as Lord Capulet, Colin Tierney as
Lord Montague and Ella Dacres as Peta.

This new 90 minute version of the play was recorded across three weeks in the National Theatre’s Lyttelton space and has been adapted for the screen by Emily Burns. Filming took place in December under the COVID-19 safe working filming guidance and code of practices.

The film also brought together talent from across theatre and film including: Director of Photography Tim Sidell (I Hate Suzie), production and costume design by Soutra Gilmour, movement direction by Jonathan Goddard and Shelley Maxwell, fight direction by Kate Waters and composition by Michael Bruce.