Never mind the Year of the Dog — 2018 is shaping up to be the Year of Christopher Eccleston, what with new drama series Come Home, a second season of The A Word, comedy film Dead in a Week, and now the lead role in Shakespeare‘s Macbeth.
And we think that’s just, well, fantastic.
The former Time Lord will take to the stage from March 13 next year at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, alongside Niamh Cusack (Silent Witness, Rebellion) as Lady Macbeth.
The RSC describes it as a “thrillingly dark, modern production,” and the photo released of Niamh and Christopher as the Macbeths sure gives an impression of austere modernity:
The play will run as part of the RSC’s summer season until September 18, which gives us plenty of opportunities to grab a ticket, unlike some recent productions we could mention (we’re looking at you, Kenneth Branagh and Tom Hiddleston).
It will be Christopher’s first stage role in six years, since he played Creon alongsidet forthcoming Thirteenth Doctor Jodie Whittaker (Broadchurch) in a 2012 production of Antigone, and only his third since leaving the TARDIS.
Booking opens later this month on the RSC website. And that’s not all! There’s good news for those of us unable to jump on a plane to the U.K., as the play will also be broadcast in theaters on April 11, 2018.
Do you think Christopher will make a good Macbeth?