Now that Benedict Cumberbatch has effectively hung up the iconic deerstalker hat (for good, perhaps?) following Sherlock season 4, the actor will be refocusing his energy into two very different forms of conflict in The Current War and Avengers: Infinity War. Both are currently simmering in various stages of production, but we now have word of another project that has landed on Cumberbatch’s slate.
Its name? The Child in Time, a TV adaptation of Ian McEwan’s award-winning novel that will take the form of a one-off 90-minute drama. Deadline has the scoop, confirming that Benedict Cumberbatch will executive produce and star as Stephen Lewis, a “successful children’s book author whose daughter suddenly goes missing in the lyrical and heartbreaking exploration of love, loss and the power of things unseen.”
Those otherworldly forces will be introduced to Cumberbatch’s lead in his darkest hour. Following their daughter’s abrupt disappearance, Stephen and his wife Julia begin to circle the jaws of depression, and it’s only when the former reconnects with an old friend and his partner, a quantum physicist, that the weary duo begin to entertain some truly bizarre theories about time and space. But will they bring word of their daughter’s return? That’s the million-dollar question, folks.
Either way, this project heralds a creative reunion between Cumberbatch, BBC and America’s PBS Masterpiece following their work on the critically-adorned Sherlock series. Stephen Butchard will handle script duties, with Julian Farino attached to direct. In closing, here’s what Benedict Cumberbatch had to share about The Child in Time:
“I read the novel years ago and it stayed with me – profound, beautiful and very moving. Only Ian McEwan could write about loss with such telling honesty. We’re very excited to have Stephen Butchard’s subtle and brilliant adaptation, and in Julian Farino we have an extraordinary director who delivers emotional truth.”