Shakepeare Now still in development for ABC

The pandemic may have delayed projects but there is still enthusiasm at ABC for ambitious Margot Robbie-produced anthology, Shakespeare Now.

The project was announced for development in 2020 with Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment and Hoodlum Entertainment.

It will re-imagine Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, MacBeth, Love’s Labour’s Lost, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Richard III, The Merchant of Venice and Twelfth Night, with all-female creative teams.

Those teams include Anya Beyersdorf, Corrie Chen, Lucy Coleman, Elissa Down, Anchuli Felicia King, Michelle Law, Claire McCarthy, Elise McCredie, Leah Purcell, Amelia Roper, Sarah Scheller, Nadine von Cohen, Vivienne Walshe and Rachel Ward.

Finding time in Robbie’s calendar may be tricky. The in-demand star is filming a live adaptation of Barbie, and has a range of upcoming titles including Amsterdam, Babylon, Ruin, Gotham City Sirens and Asteroid City.

LuckyChap Entertainment has since signed a first-look TV deal with Amazon Studios.

An ABC spokesperson tells TV Tonight, “Shakespeare Now continues to be an active project on our development slate.”