Director Carlo Carlei has added character actor Paul Giamatti to the cast of his adaptation of ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ reports Variety.
Set to kick off production in the coming weeks, the film stars Hailee Steinfeld in the role of Juliet, with ‘Great Expectations’ actor Douglas Booth playing her Romeo. Ed Westwick (‘J, Edgar,’ ‘Son of Rambo,’ ‘S. Darko’) and Kodi Smit-McPhee (‘Let Me In,’ ‘The Road’) take the roles of the two lovers' cousins, Tybalt and Benvolio respectively.
Giamatti is set to play Friar Lawrence, advisor to both Romeo and Juliet, and a key character in the Shakespeare play. Filming will take place in the Northern Italian city of Mantua with a screenplay from Julian Fellowes (‘Gosford Park,’ ‘Downton Abbey’).