Few stories from world history are as acclaimed and revered as the notorious play Romeo and Juliet. The works of Shakespeare are considered to be amongst the greatest pieces of literary canon around the globe despite being several centuries old now, and the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet is arguably his most famous. Capturing the story of two young adults who are forced to deal with the consequences of forbidden love, the 16th century love story still resonates with audiences today as its content has aged beautifully. So well that the story is currently being reimagined for modern audiences as you are reading this: 20th Century recently acquired the rights to Rosaline, a modern revision of the classic 16th century play Romeo and Juliet, and have already begun rounding out the cast for the new project.
Based upon the novel When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle, the story of Romeo and Juliet takes a significantly different form in Rosaline. Instead, the project is told through the lens of Romeo’s ex of the same name who is hell bent on ruining the young man’s newfound romance. The end result is seemingly more introspective than anything, setting the young woman on a journey of self-discovery as she learns to love herself instead. Kaitlyn Dever is set to star in the titular role while Isabela Merced has been cast to play Juliet, and now Kyle Allen has been tapped to play the notorious Romeo. The script is being written by Scott Neustadter and William H. Weber, best known for writing (500) Days of Summer, and will be produced by Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen.
For anyone familiar with the legendary author, Romeo and Juliet is just the first of countless timeless classics Shakespeare wrote in his lifetime. It’s even believed that all of his work hasn’t even been discovered despite several centuries passing since his death, a true testament to his status as one of the most revered writers in the history of the world. Now his work is being reimagined all these years later to meet the demands of modern audiences who watch films instead of plays. Rosaline is currently in the works and will serve to illuminate a new generation to one of the most iconic pieces of literary canon in the coming future.
