Hamlet is a 1990 drama film based on the Shakespearean tragedy of the same name directed by Franco Zeffirelli and starring Mel Gibson as the eponymous character. The film also features Glenn Close, Alan Bates, Paul Scofield, Ian Holm, Helena Bonham Carter, Stephen Dillane, and Nathaniel Parker. It is notable for being the first film from Icon Productions, a company cofounded by Gibson.
The cast includes three actors Paul Scofield, Alan Bates, and Ian Holm who had themselves played Hamlet on stage or in film. It also features two actors Stephen Dillane and Michael Maloney who went on to play Hamlet onstage. Maloney later played Laertes in Kenneth Branaghs 1996 adaptation.Zeffirelli announced production of the film in April 1989 at a press conference in Los Angeles. Mel Gibson was at that same press conference, where it was announced that he would play Hamlet. Zeffirelli had set out to make a Shakespearian adaptation that would be accessible and appealing to younger viewers, and casting Gibson was considered an intent to lure said audience into seeing it. ........
Source: Wikipedia