Iranian Actress Zar Amir Takes on Lady Macbeth in Groundbreaking Video Game

Iranian actress and director Zar Amir (known for Holy Spider and Tatami) is set to portray Lady Macbeth in Lili, an innovative interactive video game being developed by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in partnership with New York indie game studio iNK Stories. Amir’s Paris-based Alambic Production will co-produce this exciting project, marking the RSC’s debut in the video game arena.

A Modern Twist on a Classic Tale

This interactive adaptation of Shakespeare’s timeless play will feature Zar Amir as Lady Macbeth, also known as Lili. Set in a stylized, neo-noir version of modern Iran, the game immerses players in a world where surveillance is omnipresent and the authoritarian regime permeates everyday life. The gameplay will blend live-action cinema with interactive elements, allowing players to make pivotal choices that will influence Lili’s fate. In a creative twist, Macbeth’s witches are reimagined as hackers, and players will utilize surveillance cameras and cyber-infiltration tools to navigate this compelling game world.

Exploring Political Ambition and Personal Compromise

“Lili engages with Shakespeare’s exploration of political ambition, personal compromise, and the impact of tyranny on human lives, all while situating these themes in contemporary Iran,” stated Emma Smith, an RSC Board member and prominent Shakespeare scholar involved in adapting the text for the game. She emphasized that the project is “both utterly Shakespearean and radically defamiliarized,” adding, “Forget the notion that Shakespeare would be writing for Hollywood today; Lili makes it clear he’d be writing for gaming.”

Transformative Storytelling Through Gaming

The co-artistic directors of RSC, Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey, remarked, “As a storytelling medium, gaming today mirrors what theater has always been: a platform to explore worlds, inhabit stories, and share experiences that are both personal and communal. Lili achieves similar effects for its audience. By centering this intense thriller around Lady Macbeth instead of her husband, it radically transforms the narrative, flipping the play’s themes of gender, identity, and power on their head.”

A Rising Star in Film and Directing

Zar Amir garnered the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022 for her role in Holy Spider and took on directing duties for the sports thriller Tatami in 2023, co-directing alongside Israeli filmmaker Guy Nattiv.

Innovative Game Development by iNK Studios

iNK Studios is renowned for its award-winning game 1979 Revolution: Black Friday, an interactive adventure where players assume the role of an aspiring photojournalist returning to Iran during the Iranian Revolution. Released in 2016, the game received multiple accolades and was featured at prestigious film festivals such as Sundance and SXSW.

Anticipating the Release of Lili

Currently in development, Lili is set to launch later this year across various gaming platforms, promising to be a significant addition to the intersection of gaming and storytelling.

Persons

Zar Amir, Emma Smith, Daniel Evans, Tamara Harvey, Guy Nattiv

Company Names

Royal Shakespeare Company, iNK Stories, Alambic Production

Titles

Holy Spider, Tatami, Lili, 1979 Revolution: Black Friday

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