Suffice it to say, the names William Shakespeare, writer of great plays like Hamlet and Romeo And Juliet, and Roland Emmerich, director of such disaster p0rn films as Independence Day and 2012, have probably never been in the same sentence in any positive connotation. And judging from the trailer below for Emmerich’s next film, Anonymous, that is a situation that won’t be changing any time soon.
From the looks of it, the story revolves around some intrigue concerning the true authorship of the plays commonly credited to Shakespeare. I’m not sure how Emmerich will shoehorn in one of his usual end-of-the-world scenarios, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he does. (Although I just remembered that they did that sort of thing in the 2007 episode of Doctor Who, “The Shakespeare Code.”)
While I’m sure that there is an interesting story to be find in such an idea – even without an Armageddon plot point – the trailer doesn’t give me much to hope that Emmerich has found it. Granted, the stylized shots and cutting could be a misrepresentation of the film’s actual look in an attempt to grab the attention of ticket buyers who may not necessarily be interested in a period set drama. Ditto for the Radiohead tune on the soundtrack. How come I don’t think that’s the case, though?
If anything, this should get those Francis Bacon scholars talking.
Anonymous opens on September 30.
