Hamlet (2000 film)

Hamlet
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Michael Almereyda
Screenplay by	Michael Almereyda
Based on	Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Produced by	Andrew Fierberg Amy Hobby
Starring	Ethan Hawke Kyle MacLachlan Diane Venora Liev Schreiber Julia Stiles Bill Murray Karl Geary Steve Zahn Sam Shepard
Cinematography	John de Borman
Edited by	Kristina Boden
Music by	Carter Burwell
Production company	double A Films
Distributed by	Miramax Films
Release dates	January 24, 2000 (2000-01-24) (Sundance) May 12, 2000 (2000-05-12) (United States)
Running time	112 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$2 million[1]

Hamlet, also known as Hamlet 2000, is a 2000 American drama film written and directed by Michael Almereyda, set in contemporary New York City, and based on the Shakespeare play of the same name. Ethan Hawke plays Hamlet as a film student, Kyle MacLachlan co-stars as Uncle Claudius, with Diane Venora as Gertrude, Liev Schreiber as Laertes, Julia Stiles as Ophelia, Steve Zahn as Rosencrantz, Bill Murray as Polonius, and Sam Shepard as Hamlet's father.

In this version of Hamlet, Claudius is "king" of the Denmark Corporation, having taken over the firm by killing his brother, Hamlet's father.

This adaptation keeps the Shakespearean dialogue but presents a modern setting, with technology such as video cameras, Polaroid cameras, and surveillance bugs. For example, the ghost of Hamlet's murdered father first appears on closed-circuit TV.