ELECTRIC BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH
Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Strange, The Courier, Louis Wain
Benedict Cumberbatch has made a name for himself recently with high-profile action flicks, and roles in major fantasy franchises (Star Trek, Doctor Strange, The Hobbit), but the British star actually got his start on the small screen in much quirkier projects. His first major screen role came when he was cast in the ITV1 comedy series Fortysomething. On the show, which ran for one six-episode season, Cumberbatch starred as Rory Slippery, one of the three sons of Paul and Estelle Slippery (Hugh Laurie and Anna Chancellor). The series followed Paul, a doctor facing a midlife crisis who begins to hear other people’s inner thoughts.
It wasn’t until 2010 when Cumberbatch was cast as Sherlock Holmes in Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss’ Sherlock series on BBCOne that he found massive fame. The role elevated Cumberbatch to international star, and international heartthrob. Since that show ended, his star power has only continued to rise. Now, Cumberbatch has a new historical drama/thriller on the way, The Courier. Set during the Cold War, The Courier—originally known as Ironbark—follows the true story of Greville Wynne (Cumberbatch), a British businessman who is recruited as a spy for MI6. Along with his Russian informant, Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze), provided intelligence that helped end the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Dominic Cooke (On Chesil Beach) directed The Courier from a script written by Tom O’Connor (The Hitman’s Bodyguard). Rachel Brosnahan and Jessie Buckley also star in the film as an American operative and Wynne’s wife respectively. The Courier had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 4, 2020. Lionsgate quickly acquired the film’s distribution rights. After facing several theatrical delays due to the ongoing pandemic, The Courier is now slated for release on March 19, 2021. An official trailer was recently released, and this film promises to be a little different than your run-of-the-mill biopic. The preview promises us a movie that is both filled with espionage and international intrigue, but also funny and a little quirky.
