EXCLUSIVE: Motherland actor Paul Ready is set to star with Elliot Grihault (House of the Dragon) in feature film All That Glitters, a young adult comedy-drama inspired by Shakespeare and how he might have written in the modern day.
London-based production company Clover Fox Films is behind the feature, which is aiming to start filming this summer.
All That Glitters is described as a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet in a UK school setting, populated with anxious teens and TikTok scrollers. Ryan (Grihault) is the lighting technician for his school’s play Romeo and Juliet, directed by his dad Philip (Ready), but struggles to keep his eye on the ball as he’s hopelessly in love with the play’s lead, Jasmine.
As the story progresses, and to Ryan’s surprise, one night, the ghost of Shakespeare himself appears in his room and offers to teach him the role of Romeo so he can star alongside Jasmine in the play. Initially hesitant, Ryan slowly comes around to the idea and auditions for the play with Shakespeare by his side. But with Jasmine’s older friend Billy hanging around and her other potential Romeos getting in the way, how will Ryan ever capture Jasmine’s heart?
Peter Lavery, co-founder of Clover Fox Films, is writer-director, marking his debut feature film. It is being produced by co-founder Joe Andrews and executive-produced by Bandit Films’ Johnny Gogan. The casting director is Rob Kelly CSA.
Peter Lavery said: “We’ve landed an incredible cast for All That Glitters, which is a wonderful story that will allow young adults to experience Shakespeare with a twist. As someone who had a hard time understanding Shakespeare in school, I am interested in exploring the continued relevance of his writing. I am particularly intrigued by the idea of a sixteen-year-old protagonist who embarks on his own coming-of-age journey with the aid of Shakespeare himself, in a story reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet as a vehicle for encouraging young adults to the Bard’s writing.”
Paul Ready, also known for series The Terror and feature The Death Of Stalin, added: “Peter has written a beautiful script, full of great characters, humour, heartache, humanity and maybe above all – a lot of love. Something I feel we could all use in these times. I’m very much looking forward to working with him and bringing his wonderful film to life.”
Elliot Grihault commented: “The moment I read the script for All That Glitters, I found it very funny and was immediately hooked. I am incredibly excited to have the chance to work on this film with an extremely talented cast and crew, and I look forward to shooting it later in the year”.