James McAvoy is returning to the stage for the first time since 2009, to play the lead role in The Scottish Play. We’re not sure if it’s bad luck to type the real name of the Shakespeare play, or just to say it out loud, so with some trepidation, we confirm, that is Macbeth. James McAvoy will play Macbeth, in Macbeth (hey, in for a penny, in for a pound).

The Atonement star will star in Jamie Lloyd’s production; part of a season of work at Whitehall’s Trafalgar Studios, entitled Trafalgar Transformed. The last time McAvoy was onstage was in the Olivier nominated Three Days of Rain, at the Apollo Theatre, in 2009. According to The Independent, Lloyd’s version of the Shakesperian classic will be set in a “dystopian Scotland brutalised by war” and will depict Macbeth’s “tormented struggle for power fuelled by ambition and paranoia under a toxic fog.” In a statement, Lloyd said “We hope to welcome new and diverse audiences to the West End and I am very excited to engage with schools and other groups via a series of bespoke workshops and masterclasses.”

Tickets for Monday performances with be priced at £15. Half of those tickets will be made available via an outreach scheme aimed at school pupils and first-time theatre goers. In addition to this, all daytime performances will be available for £10 per ticket, for Tuesday to Saturday.