Kenneth Branagh made his name with his Shakespeare adaptations, but in All Is True he will become the man, and turn his focus to the Bard's own life. The film, penned by Ben Elton (who is primarily known for comedies -- this will be his first drama) will feature Branagh as William Shakespeare, but will occur during an often unexplored and pivotal period of the playwright's later years. The actor will also direct the feature, which also stars Judi Dench as his wife Anne and Ian McKellen as the Earl of Southampton.

According to a press release, "The year is 1613, Shakespeare is acknowledged as the greatest writer of the age. But disaster strikes when his renowned Globe Theatre burns to the ground, and devastated, Shakespeare returns to Stratford, where he must face a troubled past and a neglected family. Haunted by the death of his only son Hamnet, he struggles to mend the broken relationships with his wife and daughters. In so doing, he is ruthlessly forced to examine his own failings as husband and father. His very personal search for the truth uncovers secrets and lies within a family at war."

Sony Pictures Classic, which just acquired the world-wide rights to the film, said today that: “We have known and worked with Ken for twenty five years. We feel this is a movie he was destined to make. He conjures up for us the depth and dramatic richness of a character about whom we have always been fascinated. What we have seen has confirmed our excitement to plan a qualifying run at the end of this year and to open the movie fully in the new year. We believe audiences will embrace the freshness of All Is True.”

The film will have an official release in 2019, after a one-week awards-qualifying run in New York and Los Angeles December 21st. Check out the first image below: