Barbara Broccoli‘s Eon Productions, the former producer of the James Bond franchise, and Qatar’s newly launched Film Committee are jointly producing a film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “Othello,” directed and starring David Oyelowo, and also featuring Rachel Brosnahan and Cynthia Erivo.
The film, which marks Broccoli’s first project since the sale of Bond rights to Amazon MGM, will be shot in the Qatari capital of Doha. It is an adaptation of the “Othello” play production that first ran at the New York Theatre Workshop in 2016, directed by Sam Gold.
“I’ve wanted to produce the cinematic adaptation of ‘Othello’ since we staged the production in New York in 2016,” Broccoli said in a statement.
Oyelowo will be directing and returning as Othello, Brosnahan will be reprising the role of Desdemona and Erivo is playing Emilia. “We thank the Film Committee for their support and look forward to shooting in Qatar in autumn 2026,” Broccoli added.
Oyelowo commented: “Our cinematic version of ‘Othello’ is bitingly modern and fearlessly
ambitious. To have a real shot at that, you need fearless actors.”
“Cynthia is not only a generational talent but a dear friend with whom I am always keen to collaborate, and Rachel was a dream to play opposite in our original stage production and has been an inspiring pillar to build around for our fresh take on this legendary tale,” he added.
The “Othello” screenplay reimagines the classic text in a contemporary war-torn desert in the Middle
East.
“When Iago is telling us of battles – as opposed to us seeing battles – you don’t see the camaraderie and the friendship that gets denigrated. That’s the beauty of cinema,” Oyelowo said during a panel in Doha.
“That’s some of what we’re going to be able to do,” noted Broccoli, adding that “Doha will be seen on screen.”
Oyelowo went on to describe the Qatar and Doha-set “Othello” project as “the most extraordinary combination of the ancient and the modern.”
The film’s producers are Broccoli and Nicky Bentham for Eon Productions and Oyelowo for Yoruba Saxon.
The Qatar Film Committee is a new official body that is part of the Media City Qatar hub tasked with driving growth of the country’s entertainment industry.
The high-profile “Othello” project follows a flurry of pacts with Hollywood studios being unveiled at the inaugural Doha Film Festival‘s Industry Days by Hassan Al Thawadi, the Qatari lawyer who chairs the Qatar Film Committee and oversaw the 2022 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament. It follows similar deals with U.S. studios Neon, Miramax and Sony, announced on Friday.
The “Othello” production will tap into Qatar’s new screen production incentive that offers an up to 50% cash rebate on qualifying Qatari production expenditure.