River Thames to host cinematic experience to celebrate the life of Shakespeare

London's South Bank along the River Thames is to host a major cinematic event in April to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare.

Organisers, Shakespeare's Globe, announced Thursday details of 'The Big Walk', a free event being staged over the weekend of April 23 and 24 which will see 37 large screens erected along a four kilometer stretch of the banks of the Thames between Westminster and Tower Bridge. The Complete Walk will form the centerpiece of London's celebration of Shakespeare's life and work.

Many of the world's best known actors have been recruited to star in 37 specially made short films, each representing one of Shakespeare's famous literary works.

The films will also be screened across Liverpool and Santa Barbara, with more international locations to be announced later.

A spokeswoman for Shakespeare's Globe said: "At the heart of each ten-minute film will be brand new material, shot on location in a setting with particular historical and narrative resonance. Over the weekend of 23 to 24 April 2016, the banks of the Thames will come alive with an extraordinary celebration."

Confirmed filming locations include Hampton Court Palace for Henry VIII, The Tower of London for Richard III, Westminster Abbey for Henry IV,The Houses of Parliament for Richard II, Areopagus Hill in Athens for Timon of Athens, the Forest of Ardennes in Belgium for As You Like It, Tomba di Giulietta in Verona for Romeo and Juliet and Kronborg Castle in Denmark for Hamlet.

Cast members so far confirmed include Simon Russell Beale as Timon, filmed in Athens, Peter Capaldi as Titus Andronicus, filmed in Rome, James Norton as Richard II, filmed in Westminster Hall, Zawe Ashton, Joseph Marcell and Kenneth Cranham in scenes from King Lear on the Cliffs of Dover, Jessie Buckley and Luke Thompson as Romeo and Juliet in the Tomba di Giulietta in Verona, Dominic West as Coriolanus in Rome, Jonathan Pryce and Phoebe Pryce as Shylock and Jessica, filmed in Venice's historic Jewish Ghetto.

Added the spokeswoman for Shakespeare's Globe: "At the heart of each film, some of the world's finest actors will perform scenes from Shakespeare's plays, shot in the place hovering in his imagination when he wrote them.

"Imagine, seeing Cleopatra in front of the Pyramids, Shylock in Venice's Jewish ghetto, Hamlet on the rocks of Elsinore ... The Complete Walk will be an interactive journey through Shakespeare's life and work exactly 400 years on from his death." Endit