Does Benedict Cumberbatch even sleep?
The Sherlock star can currently be seen on both the big screen – in Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War – and the small one – in Showtime’s Patrick Melrose – and he’s got more projects lined up later this year, too, like animated movie The Grinch and cold war drama Ironbark. But apparently that’s not enough for Cumberbatch, as he’s now signed up to lead a one-off TV drama based on the real-life Brexit saga.
Channel 4 will air Brexit (working title), which is being described as a “political thriller” that follows the lead-up to the UK’s decision to leave the European Union, as voted for by a slight majority in the controversial 2016 referendum. In particular, it’ll focus on the winning Vote Leave campaign, which managed to persuade most people to go against the institution that the country had been a part of for forty years.
Benedict Cumberbatch is set to play real-life figure Dominic Cummings, who Deadline label as “the leading strategist and Campaign Director of Vote Leave,” while the project will be written by celebrated playwright James Graham and directed by Black Mirror‘s Toby Haynes.
If you recall, we actually first heard about Brexit last year, at which point Cumberbatch was also said to be attached. However, it was reported that Brexit would focus on prominent Vote Leave advocate and infamous British politician Nigel Farage, which doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.
There’s no word on any further casting additions at this stage, but it’s likely that the project’s lead actor will stick up for his co-stars’ right to receive equal pay. After all, Benedict Cumberbatch recently revealed that he won’t take an acting job unless his female colleagues are given the same wages as him, while he’s also trying to promote female-led stories through his Sunnymarch production company.
As for Brexit – or whatever it ends up being called – with the Sherlock star now firmly in place, we imagine things will get moving soon and we’ll be sure to let you know the moment any further updates arise.