A Midsummer's Nightmare is a 2017 American psychological thriller television film[1] directed by Gary Fleder and written by Anthony Jaswinski. It is a modern adaptation of the play A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare.[2][3] It aired on Lifetime on July 31, 2017.
| A Midsummer's Nightmare | |
|---|---|
 Title card | |
| Genre | Psychological thriller |
| Based on | A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare |
| Written by | Anthony Jaswinski |
| Directed by | Gary Fleder |
| Starring |
|
| Music by | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Jim O'Grady |
| Cinematography | Trevor Forrest |
| Editors |
|
| Running time | 42 minutes |
| Production company | A+E Studios |
| Original release | |
| Network | Lifetime |
| Release | July 31, 2017 |
Synopsis
editFour young lovers go into the woods to pursue their romantic desires but find their fantasies and secrets being used against them.
Cast
edit- Paul Walter Hauser as Nick Bottoms
- Eric Balfour as Mark
- Dominic Monaghan as Mike Puck
- Thomas Cadrot as Agent Wills
- Casey Deidrick as Liam
- Courtney Love as Titania
- Daisy Head as Elena
- Anjali Jay as Agent Radlas
- Chelsea Gilligan as Josselin
- Chad Rook as Blane Thomas
- Ellie Gall as Hannah Becker
- Rhys Ward as Royce
- Jake Robinson as Daniel Brooks
- Kylee Bush as Actress
- Jason William Day as Big Brother
- Lucius Fairburn as Little Brother
Production
editThe film was produced as a pilot for a planned hour-long anthology series[4] but the pilot was not picked up as a series.[5] Filming took place in Vancouver and elsewhere in British Columbia, Canada from October 31 to November 18, 2016. Liz Gateley, Executive Vice President and Head of Programming for Lifetime, stated that the intent was to develop "content that redefines what it means to be a Lifetime show."[4] The production received some media attention for booking Courtney Love in a role.[6][7][8]
Broadcast
editThe pilot was originally scheduled to premiere on July 28, 2017 but was then moved to July 14 and then again to July 31, when it ultimately aired.[5]
Reception
editReviewer Duane of the website Shakespeare Geek gave the film a negative review, doubting the existence of "any Shakespeare of note" in it.[9]
References
edit- ^ Ausiello, Michael (October 21, 2016). "A Midsummer's Nightmare: Lifetime Thriller Adds Eric Balfour, 3 Others". Archived from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
- ^ Petski, Denise (October 21, 2016). "'A Midsummer's Nightmare': Five Cast In Lifetime's Shakespearean Pilot".
- ^ "'A Midsummer's Nightmare' thriller in the works at Lifetime". EW.com. Archived from the original on 2019-12-16. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
- ^ a b Wagmeister, Elizabeth (August 15, 2016). "Lifetime Greenlights Pilot for Shakespeare Anthology Thriller 'A Midsummer's Nightmare' (EXCLUSIVE)".
- ^ a b "Get Lost In Lifetime's Twisted Take On Shakespeare While You Can". Bustle. 31 July 2017.
- ^ "Lifetime Pilot "Midsummer's Nightmare" Books Courtney Love". November 3, 2016.
- ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (November 3, 2016). "Courtney Love Joins Lifetime's Shakespeare Anthology 'A Midsummer's Nightmare'".
- ^ "Courtney Love is starring in a Shakespeare adaptation for the Lifetime channel". The Independent. November 4, 2016. Archived from the original on 2017-10-24.
- ^ "Review : A Midsummer's Nightmare". August 2, 2017.