Sir Ben Kingsley will play William Shakespeare in his latest film.


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The Oscar-winning Ghandi star will portray the English playwright in a film adaptation of Christopher Rush’s new novel Will, which hit bookshelves across the globe last week.

The story is centred around Shakespeare’s deathbed meeting with his lawyer to discuss his last will and testament in which he famously left wife Anne Hathaway his “second best bed”.

Kingsley – who will also be a producer on the film – is due to start shooting the project in Britain next year.

The 63-year-old actor recently finished filming The Wackness in which he shared a steamy kiss with 21-year-old actress Mary-Kate Olsen.

Kingsley said: “There is a very passionate scene in the movie. It went extremely well and she was very focused. She was very good, very professional. She was quite wonderful.”

In the movie – due out next year – Kingsley plays a therapist who forms a friendship with a teenage drug dealer who trades marijuana for therapy sessions.

Mary-Kate has been cast as one of the dealer’s customers, who shares a kiss with the therapist, and despite her part being very small, Ben was impressed
by her abilities.

He said: “Mary-Kate has huge energy. She is very, very committed to her work.”