Be it the Cloak of Levitation or a deerstalker hat, viewers are accustomed to seeing Benedict Cumberbatch sport a slew of different costumes across screens big and small, but the actor’s latest gig is a far cry from the fantastical realm of Marvel and 221B Baker Street.
That’s because he’s on board to headline The Child in Time, a one-off, 90-minute drama based on the writings of Ian McEwan. It’s an adaptation that has languished on the back-burner for years, but with Cumberbatch now attached to star alongside Kelly Macdonald, Stephen Campbell Moore and Saskia Reeves, this is one to keep an eye on.
Stepping into the shoes of Stephen Lewis, Benedict Cumberbatch plays a mournful father whose life is turned upside down when his three-year-old daughter goes missing. It’s a complex, emotional role for the British thesp to take on, and while appearing at London Film and Comic-Con over the weekend, Cumberbatch offered some new intel on what viewers can expect from the BBC drama.
First thing’s first: he’s not playing an invincible hero.
No, I think definitely not. That’s always the same challenge no matter what other elements in there. It’s interesting, like The Child In Time is a program which I’m very, very proud of which is coming out sometime soon. It’s the first one we’ve ever done as a production company and that was very much me. I’m not Sherlock, I’m not Doctor Strange, it’s something much nearer me. That was its own challenge because it’s very exposing in a way but also far more accessible, I guess.
A wounded father going in search of his lost daughter is undoubtedly powerful material, and that’s something that Cumberbatch isn’t taking lightly.
That character’s going through a trauma unlike any of these two. I think it’s much more about the intensity or the cause for intensity and emotion than it is the other accouterment of the character accent or superhero get-ups. Whatever it may be.
Directed by Julian Farino, The Child in Time is yet to announce its official release date. Cumberbatch, on the other hand, continues to be one of the busiest actors in Hollywood, and has lined up roles in Avengers: Infinity War, the so-far untitled Avengers 4, The Current War and, presumably, another season of Sherlock.