As the great William Shakespeare himself once wrote, “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players.” With their innovative, BIFA 2024-nominated documentary Grand Theft Hamlet, Sam Crane and Pinny Grylls take the Bard at his word as they chronicle Crane and fellow out of work actor Mark Oosterveen’s madcap attempt to stage a production of Danish tragedy Hamlet within the unforgiving, unpredictable world of Grand Theft Auto Online. Part comedy goldmine, part poignant document of life — and the arts’ existential crisis — during lockdown, this is one of those real seeing-is-believing type deals. Check out an Empire exclusive first look trailer for the movie below:
With its po-faced “To be or not to be”s, contemplative Jamie Perera piano score, and luscious vistas, you could be forgiven for thinking that we’ve all been duped, that Grand Theft Hamlet is in fact a live-action adaptation of Willy Shakes’ tragic masterwork. But then Crane’s blue-haired, SMG wielding avatar bowls into view and things take a turn for the decidedly less traditionally Shakespearean as cosmic figures show up at the Pinewood Bowl, our virtual thesps find themselves having to politely remind their audience to “refrain from killing each other — or the actors”, and the enormity of Crane, Oosterveen, and Grylls’ undertaking becomes apparent. As trailers go, this one — which shows off the movie’s ‘shot entirely in-game’ USP — is a real tone-setter, and promises that you don’t have to be intimately familiar with the sprawling metropolis of Los Santos to get lost in its world.
Here’s the official synopsis: “January 2021. The UK is in its 3rd lockdown and all entertainment venues remain closed. For theatre actors Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen, the future looks bleak. As the pandemic drags on, Mark – single and childless – is increasingly socially isolated, while Sam panics about how he is going to support his young family. They spend their days in the online digital world of Grand Theft Auto and when they stumble across a theatre, they suddenly have an idea to stage a full production of Hamlet within the game. Sam’s wife, documentary filmmaker Pinny, steps into the game too as an avatar filmmaker to record their journey. This film charts their ridiculous, hilarious and moving adventure as they battle violent griefers and discover surprising truths about life, friendship and the enduring power of Shakespeare.”
And here’s a first look at the official poster for the movie, too:
Having proven a hit on the festival circuit this year already, Grand Theft Hamlet is set to be released in UK and Irish cinemas on 6 December, and will launch globally on MUBI in early 2025. The film will also screen for free as part of Escapes nationwide previews on Monday 2 December.