Benedict Cumberbatch has landed his next lead movie role in The Thing With Feathers.
Adapted from Max Porter's 2015 novel Grief is the Thing With Feathers, the Doctor Strange star will play a young father with two sons who's struggling to cope after the sudden death of his wife (via Deadline).
The family soon find themselves being stalked by a strange presence known as 'Crow', a creature brought to life from the pages of the father's work as an illustrator, who guides the family forward through their grief.
Dylan Southern will be directing the project, which had previously been adapted into a critically-acclaimed stage play starring Cillian Murphy.
Related: Benedict Cumberbatch and James McAvoy land next movie roles
"The experience of reading Dylan Southern's adaptation rekindled the cinematic memory of reading this most visceral tale of a family consumed by grief," Cumberbatch said in a statement.
"Dylan has handled the deftness of Max's kinetic poetry masterfully. It's so well realised both on the page and in the deck and pitch.
"It's a thrilling read, and I couldn't be more excited to be taking Dylan's cinematic vision of it to the big screen," he continued.
Faber & Faber Grief Is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter
Faber & Faber Grief Is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter
"This is a genuinely meaningful story but it's also scary, thrilling and subversive," added Southern.
"As a director, adapting this book provides the opportunity to combine striking genre elements with drama in a way that will not only move an audience, but will frighten them and make them laugh too."
Related: Benedict Cumberbatch's Netflix show adds Walking Dead star
Cumberbatch will soon be seen in upcoming Netflix show Eric playing the role of a puppeteer in 1980s New York, which he was recently spotted filming for.
It's currently a busy time for the actor, as he has also been cast in Wes Anderson's upcoming film The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar as well as starring alongside James McAvoy in The Book of Clarence and joining the cast of Morning, a film which is set in a world where the need for sleep has been eradicated.
Cumberbatch has joined the likes of Naomi Ackie and Laura Dern in Morning.
Best Entertainment and Tech Deals
Coronation Street X Joanie - Gilroy Retro Newton And Ridley Sweatshirt
Reporter, Digital Spy
Brenna Cooper is a freelance journalist, who currently specialises in entertainment reporting. She joined Digital Spy in 2022, writing TV and movies stories for the site. After graduating with an NCTJ accredited Journalism Masters from the University of Sheffield in 2020 she has since embarked on a freelance career.
Brenna previously produced lifestyle content for Checklists.co.uk and has a specific interest in music, reviewing live acts and interviewing bands such as Confidence Man and Amyl and the Sniffers.
