Teen Shakespeare drama overcomes controversy

Julia Stiles' Shakespearean drama "O" might finally make it to the big screen this summer.



"O" is based on Shakespeare's "Othello". It was originally scheduled to be released in 1999 but was then pushed back to March 2001 only to get pushed back again, zap2it.com reports.

The movie is a modern telling of the play and is set in a high school. "O" stars Julia Stiles ("Save The Last Dance") as Desdemona, Mekhi Phifer ("Clockers") as Othello, and Josh Hartnett ("Pearl Harbor") as the villain.

"West Wing" star Martin Sheen also appears in the film. "O" eventually results in a violent climax, like Shakespeare's play. The release was reportedly rescheduled because of concerns about real-life high school violence.

Dimension films sold the rights to the film to Lions Gate in April 2001 but legal trouble marred the release of the movie until now. A settlement between Lions Gate and Dimension has been reached, although neither side is disclosing the specifics of the deal.

Lions Gate plans to release "O" in August.