A recent update on one of Benedict Cumberbatch’s long-gestating projects has reignited curiosity among fans and industry watchers. New details hint at movement behind the scenes on a film linked to a classic British story with surprising influence. As speculation swirls, all eyes are on what might finally take shape in the coming year.
Benedict Cumberbatch hopes to adapt Rogue Male next year
Benedict Cumberbatch has reiterated his intent to bring Rogue Male to the screen. Speaking on the SmartLess podcast, hosted by Sean Hayes, Jason Bateman, and Will Arnett, he said, “We haven’t got a filming date yet, but it’s something we’re trying to slate for next year.
We will make it, definitely.” He also noted scheduling complications, adding, “There are other huge commitments involving cloaks floating about,” in apparent reference to his Doctor Strange role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Cumberbatch and his production company SunnyMarch announced the Rogue Male adaptation in 2016 and attached himself to star in the film. They brought on Michael Lesslie (Macbeth, Assassin’s Creed) to write the screenplay and set the project up at Fox Searchlight.
Geoffrey Household wrote Rogue Male in 1939. The novel follows an unnamed English sportsman who tries to assassinate a European dictator, implied to be Adolf Hitler. After his capture and torture, he escapes to England. He hides in the countryside while enemy agents and British authorities hunt him.
Cumberbatch described the story as “the original fugitive novel and a huge inspiration for Ian Fleming for Bond.” He added, “The longer we were exploring the themes of it and the motivation behind the guy’s actions, and the outcome, and how he’s turned on by his own side, as well as the side he’s tried to take down, it’s fascinating how it plays into the political spectrum of what’s going on in the world right now.”
Twentieth Century Fox adapted the novel in 1940 under the title Man Hunt. The BBC followed with a television film starring Peter O’Toole in 1977.
