With Edward Berger serving behind the lens, the 'Doctor Strange' star will tackle an updated version of John Buchan's thriller novel in a limited series for Netflix.
- April 10, 2021
AceShowbiz - Actor Benedict Cumberbatch is reuniting with director Edward Berger for a TV adaptation of thriller novel "The Thirty-Nine Steps".
The "Doctor Strange" star will tackle an updated version of the John Buchan book in a limited series for Netflix, with his "Patrick Melrose" director Berger behind the camera.
The 44-year-old actor and the German helmer will also team up to executive produce the series. The two takes on the duty alongside the former's SunnyMarch partner Adam Ackland, Chapter One Pictures' Sophie Gardiner, Syndicate Entertainment's Cliff Roberts and Anonymous Content's Keith Redmon.
"The Revenant" writer Mark L. Smith will pen the script for the project, which has been re-titled "The 39 Steps", and will focus on an ordinary man named Richard Hannay, who goes on the run after becoming caught up in a global conspiracy theory.
Production is expected to begin in Europe next year (2022), reports Deadline.com.
The Buchan novel, set just before World War One, has been adapted for the screen numerous times, most notably by Alfred Hitchcock in 1935, with Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll in the lead roles.
Prior to landing the part, Cumberbatch starred in "The Mauritanian", which has landed five nominations at the upcoming 74th BAFTAs. During a March appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon", he said of the film's achievement, "We're over the moon. It feels fantastic."
The "1917" actor will next be seen reprising his Doctor Strange character in two upcoming Marvel movies, "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness".
