Benedict Cumberbatch to star in new series The 39 Steps as he reunites with Patrick Melrose director Edward Berger for adaption of classic novel
Benedict Cumberbatch will star in Netflix’s upcoming series, The 39 Steps.
The streaming platform has officially ordered the limited series, which is based on John Buchan’s 1915 novel of the same name.
Written by Mark L. Smith and with Patrick Melrose director Edward Berger at the helm, it will mark the first time Cumberbatch, 44, and Berger have joined forces for a project since the 2018 Sky Atlantic show.
New gig: Benedict Cumberbatch, 44, will star in Netflix’s upcoming series, The 39 Steps, which the steaming platform has greenlit
Cumberbatch will play Richard Hannay, an ordinary man who becomes embroiled in a conspiracy to reset the world order and is forced to go on the run.
Variety reports that the series will span at least six-hours and be produced by Anonymous Content, Chapter One Pictures and SunnyMarch, the UK-based film and TV production company founded by Cumberbatch, Adam Ackland and Adam Selves.
The 39 steps has been adapted several times in the past, most famously by Alfred Hitchcock in his 1935 film.
Cumberbatch can next be seen on screens alongside Jesse Plemons and his on-screen fiancée Kirsten Dunst in The Power Of The Dog.
The film, which will be released on Netflix, is helmed by New Zealander filmmaker Jane Campion.
Reunited: It will mark the first time Cumberbatch and Patrick Melrose director Edward Berger have worked together since the 2018 show (Cumberbatch pictured in character as Melrose)
Cumberbatch and Plemons play brothers who run a ranch in Montana, but after Plemons’ character marries a local widow in secret (played by Dunst) his brother launches a cruel campaign to destroy her life.
The movie is an adaptation of the 1967 novel of the same name by novelist Thomas Savage.
Meanwhile, Cumberbatch’s film The Mauritanian that he stars in and also produced has been receiving rave reviews, including five nominations at the upcoming 74th British Academy Film Awards.
During a March appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the Doctor Strange star said: ‘We’re over the moon. It feels fantastic,’ of the nominations.
He went on to praise Mohamedou Ould Salahi for inspiring the film and called the former Guantanamo Bay detainee an ‘incredible human being’.
‘We couldn’t be happier that the film has had this reception. It’ll hopefully get out further for his sake as well,’ the actor said.
The Mauritanian is a post-9/11 legal drama based on Slahi’s 2015 memoir, titled Guantánamo Diary.
Critical acclaim: Jimmy Fallon congratulated Benedict for the critical acclaim that his film The Mauritanian has been receiving, including five nominations at the upcoming BAFTAs