Sherlock and Captain America: Civil War star Martin Freeman has inked a deal to headline apocalyptic thriller Cargo, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
Word of Freeman’s casting surfaces from Cannes, where Bankside is handling international sales. First hatched by Aussie filmmakers Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke as a seven-minute short, Cargo is rooted in a world ravaged by a zombie apocalypse, with THR noting that Freeman is in line to play “a father who must try save his infant child at all costs. When he becomes infected following a violent attack and with only 48 hours before he transforms into one of the very creatures he’s fought to evade, Andy sets out on a precarious journey to find a new guardian.”
Howling and Ramke are poised to make their feature-length debut with the project, ensuring that the essence of the pair’s short film remains intact as it shoots for the big screen. Releasing in 2013, the Cargo short fast became something of a YouTube sensation, enthralling fans with its atmospheric environments and core story. Such quality was also recognized during the Tropfest Australia film festival, where Howling and Ramke’s feature was nominated as a finalist. You can see what all the fuss is about here.
After dabbling with international affairs in Civil War, Martin Freeman is currently shooting Sherlock season 4 opposite series lead Benedict Cumberbatch. Other projects in the works include Official Secrets and British horror Ghost Stories, which has attracted Game of Thrones‘ Natalie Dormer. Now, the actor can add a feature-length version of Cargo to that growing list.