5 Questions with Kill Shakespeare
I first caught the Kill Shakespeare bug at a live-reading of the Canadian graphic novel at The Word Festival in Toronto’s Distillery District this past November. I can think of few better ways for for a relative comic book newbie like myself to be introduced to a comic than having it read aloud to you by talented actors accompanied by the graphics on a big screen.
Creators Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery were kind enough to take the time about of their busy schedule of conventioning, promoting and writing to answer a few questions for us about Kill Shakespeare, super powers, plans for the big screen and more.
GEEKPR0N: Describe “Kill Shakespeare” in 140 characters or less
Anthony Del Col: Action mash-up of Bard’s heroes vs. villains.
Conor McCreery: The bastard child of Lord of the Rings and Shakespeare in Love’s drunken one-night stand.
If you could have any superpower what would it be and what would you do with it?
C: I kinda always wanted to be able to teleport like Nightcrawler… as long as I didn’t end up IN something I figure it’d be a pretty cool power to have and great for those evenings when you’re taking home the groceries and can’t bring yourself to take another step.
A: At the moment I wish that I could slow down time as there are simply too many things that I’d love to be doing but there’s never enough time. I know, I know – it’s a very practical answer and probably not fantastical enough, but I’m deep in the midst of a crazy convention touring schedule and have so many other things to work on at the moment.
If “Kill Shakespeare” were to become a live-action television series or movie tomorrow who would be your dream cast for the main players?
A: A question we’re asked quite often, especially as we’re currently working on the screenplay. Don’t hold me to this but it would be interesting to see what Ryan Gosling’s Hamlet would be like, see if Emma Watson could grow beyond Hermione as Juliet, and Julianne Moore as Lady Macbeth.
C: I really like Ben Foster as Hamlet (I think Gosling would be a great Romeo), Idris Elba would be fantastic as Othello and I like the idea of Ewan McGregor as Shakey himself and as a darkhorse candidate I like Canadian Allison Pill as Juliet.
What are your thoughts on Joss Whedon’s “Much Ado About Nothing” (coming out some time in the next year) and how it might really pave the way for a new round of Shakespeare shake-ups in the mainstream on the big screen?
A: Joss Whedon is a HUGE fan of Shakespeare. In fact, I believe he hosts monthly readings of Shakespeare at his house with his friends (Fillion, NPH, etc.). I think that things like Kill Shakespeare and Whedon’s take are introducing Shakespeare to an audience that may not appreciate how universal his stories are – and told and re-told every year in different formats. Shakespeare is the foundation of all great storytelling and I love getting new people excited about the Bard on a daily basis!
Star Trek or Star Wars?
C: Star Wars. I like Star Trek but I LOVE Star Wars. It’s probably a generational thing though. The original Trek was before my time and STNG came when I was in my teens and Star Wars had already grabbed my heart.
A: Star Wars by a WIDE margin. Lucas created such a fascinating world and philosophy with great characters and great adventure. However, I did really enjoy JJ Abrams’ version of Star Trek so am looking forward to seeing what the sequel and other off-shoots will be like.
What can we look forward to coming up from “Kill Shakespeare?
A: We’re looking to expand Kill Shakespeare beyond the page and are looking to tour our Live Stage Reading, which debuted this past November with Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre. We’re also busy at work on the feature film screenplay, with help and guidance from organizations such as the Harold Greenberg Fund, Telefilm Canada and the Sundance Institute. It’s a great process to adapt your own work and we’ve come up with some really cool new stuff.
C: What he said!
Check out Kill Shakespeare online and in your local comic book store.
