Killing the king: Tortured Michael Fassbender broods in new posters for Macbeth as Marion Cotillard is the picture of regal elegance

By Shyam Dodge For Dailymail.com

Published: 20:11 EST, 29 September 2015 | Updated: 09:24 EST, 30 September 2015

He has a novel take on Shakespeare's classic tale of regicide.

But in new posters for Justin Kurzel's adaptation Michael Fassbender strikes a traditional pose as he broods over the sunset.

While Marion Cotillard, who plays Lady Macbeth, is the picture of regal elegance, clearly having taken to her new role as queen of Scotland. 

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Aftermath: In new posters for Justin Kurzel's adaptation of Macbeth Michael Fassbender strikes a traditional pose as he broods over the sunset

Aftermath: In new posters for Justin Kurzel's adaptation of Macbeth Michael Fassbender strikes a traditional pose as he broods over the sunset

In other posters released for Macbeth this month, 38-year-old Fassbender is caught in a poetic moment as he stands still deep in thought whilst chaos surrounds him on the battlefield.

That very type of comfort in the belly of the beast, an ease with violence, pervades the subtext of the upcoming adaptation by Justin Kurzel. 

Fassbender is a Macbeth for our times, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, while Cotillard's Lady Macbeth haunted by the loss of a child.

In this version of the tale, Macbeth is a war veteran haunted by violence who kills his king to become ruler of Scotland.

Tragic: Marion Cotillard is a Lady Macbeth haunted by the loss of a child

Tragic: Marion Cotillard is a Lady Macbeth haunted by the loss of a child

The mad king of Scotland: In other posters released for Macbeth this month, 38-year-old Fassbender is caught in a poetic moment as he stands still deep in thought whilst chaos surrounds him on the battlefield

The mad king of Scotland: In other posters released for Macbeth this month, 38-year-old Fassbender is caught in a poetic moment as he stands still deep in thought whilst chaos surrounds him on the battlefield

The film is a grimly visceral version of the classic play, hitting US theatres on December 4, and offers a fresh take on the tortured rise and fall of the Bard's darkest anti-hero. 

To play the Scottish warrior, Fassbender gravitated to the idea that Macbeth suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.  

During a chat earlier this year with reporters at Cannes Film Festival he credited Kurzel for making the connection to contemporary warfare. 

'That changed everything for me. We know from soldiers today coming back from Iraq or Afghanistan that describe post-traumatic stress disorder and the fact that they have these hallucinations. 

'They can be walking down the street here, the Croisette, and the next thing, it's Basra.'  

While Cotillard talked about the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth: 'There's a lot of love between these two characters. They're just too damaged to be able to turn toward something more luminous.' 

In Kurzel's film, the Macbeths are less an ambitious, power-hungry pair than a desperate, childless couple in freefall.

'The tragedy about this couple is they look around them and everything they want is in the people and families around them,' said the film's director Kurzel.

Macbeth's US release date is yet to be decided but it will arrive in UK cinemas on October 2

Old school: When it comes to warfare Fassbender is a traditionalist, opting for crude war paint and savagely medieval weapons

Old school: When it comes to warfare Fassbender is a traditionalist, opting for crude war paint and savagely medieval weapons

 

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