Anthony Hopkinsmay be in his late eighties, but he is far from retirement asThe Hollywood Reporterannounces that he is set to star in the upcoming biopicThe King of Covent Garden, starring as composer George Frideric Handel. The veteran actor is widely recognized for his performances on the screen and stage as well ashis portrayal of a variety of real-life charactersover the years of his long career. He has starred as Richard Nixon inNixon, Sigmund Freud inFreud’s Last Session, Alfred Hitchcock inHitchcockand Adolf Hitler inThe Bunker.
As for the upcoming biopic, Hopkins will work with Minamata filmmaker Andrew Levitas, who will direct, while Tim Slover wrote the screenplay. In addition,Simpatico’sDan LupovitzandJojo Rabbit’sKevan Van Thompsonwill produce, whileMilitary Wives’Peter Toucheand Opera iconKatherine Jenkinswill executive produce. Jenkins will also be involved as a musical advisor on the project and help with prospective marketing efforts.
The King of Covent Garden,which highlights how the famous composer created his 1741 masterpiece “Messiah,” will have its worldwide pre-sales handled byEmbankment Films. Embankment Films will pitch it to buyers at the Cannes Film Market later this month with the pitch describing the project as “a powerfully majestic celebration of genius breaking all the rules to create an anthem inspiring the popular imagination of global audiences.”
Hopkins And Handel Will Create A Joyous And Uplifting Cinematic Event
Hopkins gets to reunite with Embankment Films forThe King of Covent Gardenyears after their collaboration on Florian Zeller’s The Father which contributed to Hopkins’s second Oscars win in 2021. The company’s co-founder Tim Haslam describesHopkinsand composer Handel as “maestros of their art” and as a pair, they “create a joyous and uplifting cinematic event.” He also gushes about Handel’s “Hallelujah” chorus saying, it is “the most performed of choral favorites” worldwide and has been featured in a wide range of iconic entertainment.
Haslam adds, “In excess of 5 million people have seen a performance of “Messiah” in The Royal Albert Hall alone. Throughout the U.S., there are over 800 performances per year. Handel’s music has been performed at every coronation of a British monarch since King George II.”
Meanwhile, filmmaker Levitas elaborates on the project’s narrative, saying, “The storytelling is hinged upon an unlikely pair, who meet each other at their lowest points and together create a magnificent never-heard-before ‘sound for the people:’ the groundbreaking masterpiece “Messiah,” the annual global bestseller for close to 300 years.” He further praises scribe Slover whose writing is “populated by passionate, real-life experience in all its color and dirt, creating a riveting human story with surprising contemporary relevancy, universal human connectivity and spiritual uplift.”
No trailers have been released yet for the upcoming biopic but stay tuned for more information.
