Having wrapped filming on the TV drama Brexit and helped spawn 14,000,605 fan theories with Avengers: Infinity War, Benedict Cumberbatch continues to stay busy via the upcoming psychological thriller Rio, with the actor co-producing the project and co-starring opposite fellow Academy Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal.
Not to be confused with that animated bird movie of the same name, Rio tells the story of two old friends – a successful financier played by Cumberbatch, and a journalist played by Gyllenhaal – who meet again in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The film’s to be directed by Edward Berger, who’s already worked with Cumberbatch on the recent TV series Patrick Melrose, and is produced by StudioCanal along with Cumberbatch and Adam Ackland’s company SunnyMarch, and Gyllenhaal and Riva Marker’s Nine Stories.
The team at SunnyMarch seem happy to be on board, too, with Cumberbatch and Ackland saying the following earlier this week:
“We are delighted to be working with Ed Berger again on this very special project. Together with Studiocanal and Nine Stories this promises to be a terrific collaboration, we can’t wait to bring ‘Rio’ to life.”
Gyllenhaal and Marker, in turn, were similarly enthusiastic, stating:
“Edward Berger’s work is superb. We are thrilled to be collaborating with him, Studiocanal and Sunny March — an undeniably talented group of filmmakers.”
Berger’s track record bodes well for the project, with Patrick Melrose currently awaiting the verdict on five Emmy nominations, including Best Limited Series and Best Director, not to mention Best Actor for Cumberbatch. Similarly, the German director’s 2015 series Deutschland 83 was released to critical praise, ultimately taking home an International Emmy Award for Best Drama.
While details remain a little thin on Rio, it won’t be long before Gyllenhaal and Cumberbatch each return to the big screen, with the former starring in Wildlife, out October 19th, and the latter set to voice the title character of The Grinch, out November 9th.