'Verona's Romeo & Juliet' Resurfaces as 'Juliet & Romeo'

It would be impossible to list out all the various adaptations of William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, even if one were to stick to only those committed to film. Moreover, much like Pride & Prejudice, feature-length stories of the star-crossed lovers seem to function on a generational scale — every 20 years or so, a new "definitive" version arrives. However, the last decade or so in theater has seen an explosion of twisted versions of the story, from the recent Hulu film Rosaline to Broadway's & Juliet to the recently remade West Side Story. And then there's Juliet & Romeo, previously known as Verona's Romeo & Juliet, a pop movie musical version that's supposed to be the first part of a trilogy.

Initially announced in early 2023, the film featured Broadway veterans Jason Isaacs (The White Lotus) and Rebel Wilson (Pitch Perfect), and claimed it would give viewers the "real-life 1301 story that inspired Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet," with a release date planned for Christmas. It then disappeared completely, only to resurface in May 2024, with the promise that a Valentine's Day 2025 release date was set in stone. February came and went with zero sign of the film, until this week, when the trailer arrived along with a new date set for theaters, arriving on American Mother's Day.

The new trailer and release date also brought a change in title to Juliet & Romeo, and a notable dropping of any claims that there would be two more films to follow. Whether that's because they won't make them or they're waiting to see how the film performs first, remains to be seen, but the press release still refers to this as a "franchise," so perhaps there's more to come.

Here's the film's synopsis:

Set in 1301 at the end of Medieval times, the Juliet & Romeo Franchise finds our most famous Star-Crossed lovers turning the tides on the history on which Shakespeare based his own story, as they reveal the truth to the very future of the Empire. But the biggest twist in this most beloved of tales, is leaving the poetry of Iambic Pentameter in the past, for the original Pop Music that rockets these ever-present themes right to the heart of our characters in the most surprising, and perhaps most powerful way that has ever been seen, or heard, before…

The greatest love story of all time, set to the greatest music of our time.

Isaacs plays Lord Montague, and Wilson is featured as Lady Capulet with Rupert Everett (Funny Woman) as Lord Capulet The rest of the ensemble includes Clara Rugaard (The Crow Girl) as Juliet, Jamie Ward (His Dark Materials) as Romeo, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo (Pistol) as Tybalt, Rupert Graves (Sherlock) as Prince Escalus, Derek Jacobi (Ludwig) as The Friar, and American actors Dan Fogler (Fantastic Beasts) as The Apothecary, Tayla Parx (Hairspray) as Rosaline, and Nicholas Podany (Hart of Dixie) as Mercutio. Supporting cast includes Max Parker (World on Fire), Dennis Andres (Murdoch Mysteries), Ledisi (Pose), Martina Ortiz Luis (Wynonna Earp), and newcomers Alex Grech and Zac Bellward.

Timothy Scott Bogart wrote and directed Juliet & Romeo, with his brother, songwriter Evan Kidd Bogart, overseeing the original soundtrack. Bogart executive produces with Jessica Martins, Chris Torto, Laurence Mark, Gary A. Randall, Tom Ortenberg, Clay Pecorin, and Russell Geyser.

Juliet & Romeo will debut in theaters (really, this time we mean it!) on Friday, May 9, 2025.