 Only about half of Shakespeares original text is used. Sometimes  details were changed, e.g. Lord Rivers (Robert Downey Jr. (qv))  was killed much later in the play than he is in the movie and when  Queen Elizabeth (Annette Bening (qv)) receives the news of his  death, the same messenger in the play only told her of his  indictment on Richards and Buckinghams orders.