The news that Sean Bean is to play Macbeth onscreen is superb, and about time too. This man has bags and bags of talent and yet he continually gets cast as a stock baddie or a third or fourth part. Sure he's had some leads, but they've never really commanded his performance, I'm always drawn back to the Sharpe television series for some of his best work.

Empire has the superb news:

The Jacket’s John Maybury directing Vincent Regan’s script Come Like Shadows.

Sean Bean – who last played the bloodied Scot in a stage run three years ago – is the lead, with Narnia’s Tilda Swinton stepping into the role of Lady Macbeth. According to Variety, the film will use a period setting, but will be accessible to modern audiences.

I am most definitely excited about this. I would have liked to have seen a modern treatment made of it, but keeping in tone with the original script (unlike the Hollywood modernisations which just kill everything about the original Shakespeare plays), but just seeing Bean in the lead will be enough. Roll on the big roles and let's see more of this guy.