Roland Emmerich might be better known for destroying landmarks than digging into historical conspiracy theories about the authorial nature of famous plays, but he’s looking to change all that with Shakespeare drama mystery Anonymous. And now we can see some moving footage of his effort as the teaser trailer has launched, and can be viewed below.
Opening somewhat puzzlingly in New York (which had us wondering if Emmerich couldn’t resist resorting to type and would have a super-volcano start knocking over the buildings with a lethal lava flow), the trailer reveals this is actually the bookend for the film, with Derek Jacobi talking up the mystery of who actually wrote William Shakespeare’s plays.
From there, it’s off into Elizabethan England, scored not with the usual traditional instruments and hearty verses of hey-nonny-no, but with an overlay of Radiohead as images from the film flash on screen.
Anonymous posits the idea that it was actually Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans) whose plays became labelled with Shakespeare’s name. And because this is Emmerich, after all, he isn’t content to simply craft a drama with people arguing over creative credit: the backdrop is the Essex Rebellion against Queen Elizabeth I (Vanessa Redgrave) and the issue of who will succeed her.
Take a look at the trailer and see if you can spot the cameo from Godzilla.*
Anonymous will be out on September 30. And for the record, Empire still thinks Shakespeare wrote the plays of William Shakespeare.
Just kidding. It’s Will Smith.
**Also untrue. *