Anthony Mackie is heading back to Broadway next spring to take on the title role in Macbeth, he revealed to Deadline. The New York production is a transfer of director Max Webster’s celebrated staging, with rehearsals set to begin in February 2027, previews launching that spring, and the run continuing through July at a venue still to be confirmed.
Webster’s version of the play first premiered at London’s Donmar Warehouse in late 2023, starring David Tennant and Cush Jumbo, before moving to a sold-out stint at the West End’s Harold Pinter Theatre. Much of the buzz around the production centers on its immersive binaural sound design, created by award-winning audio designer Gareth Fry, which has audience members wearing headphones while the cast speaks their lines into microphones rather than projecting across the room. “The microphones and the sound aspect of it is interesting because you in the audience can hear everything, you can hear every whisper, you can feel every emotion,” Mackie told Deadline. “So instead of having to project to the back of the house, the house comes to the stage.” Mackie, who trained at Juilliard, hasn’t appeared on Broadway since 2009’s A Behanding in Spokane, where he starred opposite Christopher Walken, Sam Rockwell, and Zoe Kazan.
The timing of this return ties closely to Mackie’s own life. He told Deadline that becoming a father and relocating to New Orleans made sustained theater work difficult for years: “The thing about theater is if you live in New York, it’s great because it puts you at home. But if you don’t live in New York, you know, having kids, it’s a huge sacrifice to be able to take time from your kids and daddy duty to go and dip your foot back in the water to chase your dreams. But this was something I think my kids will understand.” He also told Deadline that reconnecting with his longtime friend and mentor Wendell Pierce while filming in London rekindled his pull toward the stage, alongside spending his downtime there catching West End shows.
To prepare, Mackie is leaning on his old Juilliard teacher Richard Feldman for coaching, telling Deadline, “I was like, ‘Hey, man. I need your help. I’m calling in my one favor.’ I’ve known him for 30 years. He’s going to be my point person, my lead.” He’s also pulled out his original vocal training notes from decades ago, describing the physical demands of eight shows a week as its own kind of workout. He told Deadline he sees Macbeth’s unraveling as especially relevant now, pointing to unchecked ambition as something reflected across business, tech, and sports today. The production is still finalizing its Lady Macbeth and supporting cast, which Mackie told Deadline he expects to be entirely American.
Mackie’s upcoming film and TV work includes Avengers: Secret Wars, Season 3 of Twisted Metal, which he stars in and executive produces, and the Apple TV heist drama 12 12 12 alongside Jamie Dornan, premiering November 13. He’ll also appear in Avengers: Doomsday, out in theaters December 18.
With casting for Lady Macbeth still unresolved and no theater locked in yet, the bigger story ahead is how a production built around such a specific, technical sound design translates to a brand-new Broadway house.