Trailer: Julie Taymor’s The Tempest

Oddly enough, ultra-stylized director Julie Taymor went from making a film out of probably Shakespeare’s most obscure — and hated — play (Titus, to making a film of one of the Bard’s most famous and beloved plays, The Tempest.

The trailer for The Tempest was released today (which can be seen after the jump), and, per Taymor’s usual off-beat approaches, the film stars Helen Mirren as Prospera, a female version of the magician Prospero. Unless I’m crazy the tone of the film as shown in the trailer is reminiscent of 1980s sword-and-sorcery films like Excalibur and Legend. I’ve always had a soft spot for that genre, so the trailer has certainly piqued my interests, although it doesn’t give anyone who hasn’t read the play any idea of what the film is about!

The film will be released in December and also stars Felicity Jones, Djimon Hounsou (Gladiator), Alfred Molina (Spiderman 2), and… Russell Brand (Get Him to the Greek)? Anyway, take a look at the trailer and let us know what you think!