A New Romeo and Juliet Adaptation is Coming

Like capri pants and velour tracksuits, it seems that Shakespeare’s tragic tale of teenage love comes back around every 30 years.

• Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 film starring Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey drew raves and included a brief nude scene that prompted “a lot of fuss” at the time and a lawsuit alleging child abuse decades later.
• Baz Luhrmann’s psychedelic 1996 spin starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes received a critical response that was lukewarm at best but nevertheless remains a core millennial text.

Now, Gen Z’s moment with the star-crossed lovers is in the offing, as Robert Eggers is set to direct and produce a new Romeo and Juliet film for Focus Features. This is a fascinating choice given that Eggers, best known for The Witch (2015) and Nosferatu (2024), made his bones with horror stories.