Sir Derek Jacobi joins Branagh's Romeo And Juliet cast

The actor has joined the cast which sees him reunite with the man who directed him in Hollywood hit Cinderella and two of its stars, Lily James and Richard Madden, who play the star-crossed lovers.

Sir Derek, who plays Romeo’s friend Mercutio, said it was “a privilege to return to Shakespeare”.

He said: “The role of Mercutio is an exciting and intriguing challenge to take on. I’m particularly happy to tackle it in the company of Richard Madden and Lily James, with whom I had such an exciting working relationship in Cinderella.”

Sir Kenneth announced last month that he was setting up his own theatre company to perform a season of plays featuring stars including Dame Judi Dench.

The group will be in residence at London’s Garrick Theatre for a year from October with planned performances of plays including The Winter’s Tale and The Entertainer.

Belfast-born Sir Kenneth will star opposite Dench in The Winter’s Tale and take the lead role of ageing music hall performer Archie Rice in John Osborne’s The Entertainer – a part made famous by Sir Laurence Olivier.