Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke is teaming up with Emile Hirsch to produce a modern-day version of Hamlet.

Proposed by Hirsch, Shakespeare’s story will be transported to a liberal arts college on the US East Coast.

Hirsch, 24, will play Hamlet, the son of the university’s president.

He returns for his father’s funeral only to learn that his uncle has taken his dad’s post and is suspected of arranging his murder.

A film script has yet to be written, but Hardwicke is excited about making the film - even though she never imagined herself working on Shakespeare.

“I had never thought of it at all, until Emile mentioned the idea,” she says.

“At first, I thought it was scary and crazy and then we read it aloud and I knew how to do it.”

The director - who worked with Hirsch on Lords of Dogtown - says: “You will understand everything without having a copy of Shakespeare for Dummies with you.”