LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 06: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Riz Ahmed poses in the portrait studio at the Pre-Bafta party hosted by EE and Esquire ahead of the 2013 EE British Academy Film Awards>> at The Savoy Hotel on February 6, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Marsland/WireImage) Emmy-winning British-Pakistani actor Riz Ahmed is said to be in talks to play the title character in Netflix’s upcoming film ‘Hamlet’, which will present a contemporary take on Shakespeare’s tragedy. Mike Lesslie, who penned 2015’s ‘Macbeth’ starring Michael Fassbender, will write the adaptation, which centres on the revenge Prince Hamlet is determined to wreak upon his uncle, Claudius, by the ghost of his father. The play will, however, move from 17th century Denmark to modern-day London. If the talks are successful, Riz Ahmed will follow in the footsteps of actors like Kenneth Branagh, Ethan Hawke and Oscar Isaac, who have all played the protagonist. ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ actor won an Emmy for his role in HBO’s ‘The Night Of’ earlier this year. His upcoming projects include DC’s Venom and drama ‘The Sisters Brothers’, in which he stars alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Joaquin Phoenix. Rizwan Ahmed, also known as Riz MC, is a British-Pakistani actor, rapper and activist. As an actor, he won an Emmy Award, out of two Emmy nominations, and was also nominated for a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, and three British Independent Film Awards. He was initially known for his work in independent films such as ‘The Road to Guantanamo’, ‘Shifty’, ‘Four Lions’, ‘Trishna’, and ‘Ill Manors’, before his breakout role in ‘Nightcrawler’. Published in Daily Times, October 21st 2017.