It’s raining the Bard.
In the wake of “Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight and “Happy Valley” star Sarah Lancashire’s recently announced series on William Shakespeare, another production with the Bard as topic has revealed some of its cast.
Conspiracy drama series “The Rosy Cross: The Rebels who wrote Shakespeare,” being brought to the screen by Lasse Hallberg, executive producer of Netflix series “Lilyhammer,” explores the controversial Shakespeare authorship debate. The cast includes Stephen Campbell Moore (“The History Boys, “Downton Abbey”), Romario Simpson (“Granite Harbour”), Samuel Barnett (“The History Boys”), co-producer Ed Hughes (“Ripper Street,” “Bolivar”) and Jonny Weldon (“House of the Dragon”).
The series is based on research claiming to identify the real and diverse underground writing group of men and women who secretly crafted the plays under the pseudonym of William Shakespeare, led by the great English philosopher Francis Bacon. The show follows a shadowy order of diverse freedom fighters from all walks of life who wage a covert war to protect freedom of speech and civil rights, by using plays to spread knowledge, bury secrets and empower the masses.
It promises to take a deep dramatic dive into the heady melting pot of the 16th Century underground, where freedom fighters literally were writing for their lives, all to help people learn about the ever-changing world they lived in.
The project, which has been in development for a year, was created by U.K.-based writer Tom Keenan and American actor-director Nick McDow Musleh. Keenan says that the show seeks to present the alternative side to the Shakespeare authorship debate, where the facts outweigh the myths.
“There is a huge audience and global interest in the idea that Shakespeare did not write Shakespeare – there is room for all opinions, and once people see the facts, they will be very surprised,” Keenan said.
The series will showcase the stories and characters of the collaborators who were involved in using their dramatic voices to speak up for the marginal and under-represented members of society. It will also reveal that women, persons of color and a range of sexualities were undoubtedly all involved in the creation of the plays.
“We are presenting these brave collaborators in such a way that modern audiences can connect with them and their lives,” Keenan said. “On the way, we will showcase the stories and characters they so skilfully crafted and inspire audiences to engage in an entertaining debate about the origins of these plays.”
Campbell Moore added: “I’m delighted to be working with the extremely talented Tom Keenan and Nick McDow Musleh who have conjured an unexplored world for us in his retelling of the origin of Shakespeare’s plays.”
The show is inspired by Jørgen Friberg’s documentary ‘The Seven Steps to Mercy: Cracking the Shakespeare Code’, which was released in 2016 and followed a Norwegian man who deciphered a secret code hidden in Shakespeare’s first folio, revealing a treasure map where ancient religious artifacts are hidden.
