'Grand Theft Hamlet' To Hit US Theaters This January
The SXSW 2024 Documentary Feature winner follows two actors’ attempt to stage a Hamlet production within Grand Theft Auto Online during COVID-19 lockdown.
A documentary about a Shakespeare play staged in Grand Theft Auto Online may sound absurd, but it is the premise of the award-winning UK film Grand Theft Hamlet, which hits US theaters in 2025.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, two actors Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane were out of work and found solace in playing Grand Theft Auto Online. The documentary, which is entirely screen-recorded through the game interface, follows their journey towards attempting to stage Shakespeare’s Hamlet with other players in the server.
The film’s official page offers more insight into the choice to use the virtual space as its setting: “It’s ground-breaking and necessary – especially at a time when more and more of our lives (even a cultural artifact as ancient as live theatre) move online. The documentary asks what is this space? How do we use it now and what else is possible inside it? Can we transport this ancient story inside a brand-new one? And will it still make sense?”
The film held its US premiere at SXSW 2024 and won the Documentary Feature Jury Prize at the Austin, Texas film festival. Across the pond in the UK, the film had a theatrical release on December 6 and is a BFI 2024 Film Festival Selection. American audiences will be able to see the movie at select theaters beginning on January 17, 2025.
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Watch the full trailer above. Tickets for US screenings are expected to become available as the release date approaches.
