Benedict Cumberbatch may not be donning Bond’s famous tuxedo any time soon, but he is about to play a spy who saves the world.
Deadline reports the latest project for the Sherlock star is Ironbark, an espionage thriller set in London during the early years of the Cold War. He’ll play real-life British businessman Greville Wynne, who helped the CIA penetrate the Soviet nuclear program and eventually bring about an end to the Cuban missile crisis.
Of course, it’s not the first time Benedict has dabbled in (fictional) espionage. There was his brief role in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and his portrayal of computer scientist Alan Turing in 2014’s The Imitation Game. Benedict narrowly missed out on an Oscar for that performance (Eddie Redymane won instead for his performance in The Theory of Everything), so this new role could be a chance to rectify that.
Also, is it just us, or does being called “Greville” really suit him? (We can hear it now: “The name’s Wynne. Greville Wynne.”)
Anyway. On Chesil Beach director Dominic Cooke will helm the project, making it the second time the pair have worked together after Benedict played Richard III in The Hollow Crown, with a script by The Hitman’s Bodyguard‘s Tom O’Connor.
Expect it some time in 2019, when Benedict’s done with promoting Avengers: Infinity Wars and leant his voice to The Grinch and Shere Khan.
Are you excited to see Benedict as a spy again?