Emile Hirsch to play Hamlet

Speed Racer star Emile Hirsch has signed up to take on the lead role in a new modern-day adaptation of Hamlet.

According to reports, Ron Nyswaner, best known for the Oscar-winning Philadelphia and The Painted Veil, is to bring Shakespeare's classic play into the 21st century, with the action taking place in the US.

The script will centre on a young man who must decide whether to kill his uncle to avenge the death of his father.

Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke is to direct, while Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen will undertake production responsibilities.

Hirsch will not be the first Hollywood star to take on the role of Hamlet, and will be following in the footsteps of Ethan Hawke, Mel Gibson and Laurence Olivier, who won a Best Actor Oscar for his version.

Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter about the forthcoming film, Chris McGurk and Danny Rosett, chief executive officer and chief operating officer of Overture, the studio behind the flick, said that the play contains "universal themes".

"The story of Hamlet is perhaps as timely and influential today as it was when it was written over 400 years ago," they added.

Hirsch's other acting credits include Lords of Dogtown, which also saw him working with Hardwicke, and The Girl Next Door.