Ethan Hawke will play Macbeth on Broadway.

The 42-year-old actor has been confirmed as taking the leading role in the Shakespeare tragedy. The female lead playing Lady Macbeth has yet to be confirmed.

Ethan will reunite with director Jack O'Brien at Lincoln Center Theater, where he has previously starred productions of The Coast of Utopia - earning him a Tony nomination in 2007 - and Henry IV. Ethan is also currently riding high as the star of The Purge - which topped the box office last weekend - as well as playing the lead in highly anticipated romantic drama Before Midnight, the sequel to Before Sunrise and Before Sunset.

The actor recently admitted he often questions his stardom and feels "guilty" as he thinks he deserves the attention he receives from fans. "You know in your heart of hearts that you're special only like every human being is special, so you don't know why you're getting all this attention and you feel guilty about it. What you feel guilty about is the feeling that some part of you thinks you deserve it 'cos it feels good. And it's a weird snake that's eating it's own tail."