Montreal producer Denise Robert (The Rocket) is betting that William Shakespeare will continue to resonate with young audiences.

In Roméo et Juliet, the $3.5-million production shooting in Montreal from April 14 to June 1, the doomed love affair between two adolescents from different sides of the tracks is set contemporarily amid Montreal's gang wars.

In Normand Chaurette's screenplay, the vicious biker wars have culminated in an epic trial. Juliet's father is the judge overseeing the proceedings, while Roméo's father is the biker gang leader on trial.

Roméo et Juliet will be directed by Yves Desgagnés (Idole instantanée) and lit by Pierre Mignot, the seasoned cinematographer who just won both a Genie and a Jutra for his work on C.R.A.Z.Y.

"It is rare today that we get to see a true love story about young people one that's realistic," says Robert, who is producing with Daniel Louis, both of Cinémaginaire. The dialogue will also be in today's vernacular. "I think this will have a great deal of appeal for young people, but it will also draw older people who remember their first puppy love."

Robert says the creative team behind the film always agreed they wanted the actors to be the ages that Shakespeare had intended. And since the talent pool of working actors in their teens is limited, Robert and company went about holding extensive, cross-Quebec auditions, hearing readings from over 10,000 aspiring actor teens. Thomas Lalonde will play Roméo, opposite Charlotte Aubin.

"We were really amazed at how much talent we came across," reports Robert. "It [was] extremely difficult to decide who makes the cut."

And while the script is loosely based on a play, Robert is not concerned about the film feeling too stagy.

"We are welcoming those theatrical touches... Yves Desgagnés is one of Quebec's greatest theater directors and Normand Chaurette is a renowzned theatrical playwright. This will only heighten the work's famous drama and romance. We know that the Quebec cinemas are dying for this movie."

Roméo et Juliet will open across Quebec in December via Alliance Atlantis Vivafilm.