海角大神

Two acclaimed actors will reportedly be starring in an off-Broadway production of Shakespeare's 鈥淥thello.鈥�

鈥淪PECTRE鈥� actor Daniel Craig will reportedly play the poisonous Iago in the New York Theatre Workshop Production and David Oyelowo of 鈥淪elma鈥� will portray the title character. The production will be directed by 鈥淔un Home鈥� helmer Sam Gold, who recently picked up a best director for a musical Tony Award for his work on that show. This production of 鈥淥thello鈥� will debut in fall 2016.聽

Oyelowo has worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and appeared in the off-Broadway production 鈥淧rometheus Bound.鈥� He won acclaim for his role as Martin Luther King Jr. in the 2014 film 鈥淪elma.鈥�

Craig has appeared on Broadway in the plays 鈥淎 Steady Rain鈥� and 鈥淏etrayal.鈥澛�

Meanwhile, the New York Theatre Workshop鈥檚 other productions this season include the show 鈥淟azarus鈥� by David Bowie and Enda Walsh.

A black actor like Oyelowo taking on the role of Othello is nothing new for the stage 鈥� actors James Earl Jones and Paul Robeson, among others, have taken on the role for Broadway productions stretching back decades. But those behind the recent Metropolitan Opera production of 鈥淥tello,鈥� which opened last month, made the decision for the first time not to have a white actor portraying the title character use dark makeup.聽

As recently as the 1980s, actors were using dark makeup to portray Othello on film, with actor Anthony Hopkins doing so for a filmed BBC production in 1981 and Laurence Olivier doing so for the 1965 film, among others. However, African-American actor Laurence Fishburne took on the role for the 1995 movie and African-American actor Mekhi Phifer played the part in the 2001 high-school-set adaptation 鈥淥.鈥�

However, the donning of dark makeup by an actor performing in the American Ballet Theater鈥檚 production of 鈥淥thello鈥� this spring attracted the ire of 鈥淧erson of Interest鈥� actor Robert Manning, Jr. 鈥淭he ignorance of it is unbelievable,鈥� Manning .