New Romeo and Juliet Movie Will Be Released in the Screenlife Format

Interface Films, a new production company by Timur Bekmambetov and Igor Tsai, will release a screenlife adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The working title of the project is “R# J”, starring Camaron Engels (best-known for the Netflix series “Malibu Rescue”) and Francesca Noel.

“R # J” is directed by Carey Williams, who won the a Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival 2018 two years ago for his short film “Emergency”. The role of Tybalt will be played by Diego Tinoco (“On My Block”), Mercutio — Siddiq Saunderson (“Messiah”), and Benvolio — RJ Syler (“Power Rangers”).

“I’m thrilled to be presenting a timeless classic in a never before seen fashion, and giving people of color an opportunity to see themselves onscreen in these iconic roles. There have been many versions of ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ but there’s never been one quite like this,” Williams said.

The film is set in Louisiana, and the story of two star-crossed lovers will unfold through the screens of their mobile phones.

“R # J”, which was shot in Los Angeles before the coronavirus outbreak, is the first large project of the newly formed Interface Films. The film based on the classic Shakespeare play will be the first of several screenlife projects that they plan to produce in Interface Films. In general, the film company plans to spend about $10 million on screenlife films this year.

“A couple of years ago Screenlife seemed something extravagant, an artist’s pursuit, now it’s arguably the only way to shoot movies, and who knows maybe in a half year it will become a new normal,” said Bekmambetov.