‘James Bond‘ franchise producer Barbara Broccoli’s Eon Productions 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,” said Broccoli in a statement.
David Oyelowo will be directing and returning as Othello, Rachel Brosnahan will be reprising the role of Desdemona and Cynthia Erivo is playing Emilia. “We thank the Film Committee for their support and look forward to shooting in Qatar in Autumn 2026,” Broccoli added.
Commented Oyelowo: “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. Producers are Barbara Broccoli and Nicky Bentham for Eon Productions and David
Oyelowo for Yoruba Saxon.
The Qatar Film Committee is an official body that is part of the Media City Qatar hub, and is tasked with driving growth of the country’s entertainment industry.
The deal is one of several 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 production will tap into Qatar Screen Production Incentive that offers an up to 50% in cash incentive on qualifying Qatari production expenditure.
More to follow