The 'Sherlock' actor will potray Jasper Maskelyne, whose illusions helped the Allied forces fight the Nazis during World War II.
- Dec 9, 2015
AceShowbiz - Benedict Cumberbatch has signed on for World War II action movie "The War Magician". Storyscape Entertainment principals Bob Cooper and Richard Saperstein, who made the announcement on Tuesday, December 8, will produce the pic.
The "Sherlock" actor will play a British hero named Jasper Maskelyne, who possessed magical abilities that helped the Allied forces fight against the Nazis during World War II. According to the producers, Maskelyne teamed up with "dirty dozen" of accomplices to form "The Magic Gang," and together they used some illusion tricks to conceal the Alexandria harbor and the Suez Canal, where there were 150,000 men with 1,000 guns and tanks.
The illusions helped turn the tide of the war against General Rommel and the Germans in North Africa. Maskelyne's tricks made Adolf Hitler put him in a list of his personal blacklist alongside men like Douglas MacArthur and British Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery, who, if found alive, were to receive "special" treatment by the Nazis.
The upcoming movie is based on David Fisher's fact-based novel and it's "Rogue One" writer Gary Whitta who will pen the screenplay. Producers are planning to shoot in locations throughout Europe and the Middle East, though it's unknown when they will start the filming.
Although Cumberbatch previously starred in "The Imitation Game" where he portrayed someone who is responsible to help government in a war, Cooper said that his role in "War Magician" would be different. "The Maskelyne character is so different from the one that Benedict portrayed in 'The Imitation Game' in that Maskelyne was very outgoing and confident," Cooper said. "We think this is a perfect blend of acting talent with material."
Other cast members and official release date have yet to be announced, but the movie is expected to arrive in the U.S. in 2017.
