Benedict Cumberbatch fans, get ready for your first look at the star’s latest TV drama, as the BBC have now revealed a 40-second teaser trailer for The Child in Time, the adaptation of the haunting 1987 novel from acclaimed writer Ian McEwan.
The drama sees Cumberbatch and Trainspotting‘s Kelly Macdonald as Stephen and Julie Lewis, a children’s author and his estranged wife whose young daughter goes missing on an everyday trip to the supermarket. The drama then explores their grief, with the trailer leaving it ambiguous whether the couple’s visions of their daughter are just in their minds or are the result of something more supernatural. It promises to be a harrowing depiction of death and loss and we can’t wait to see more.
As fans will know, this is the second time that Cumberbatch has starred in an adaptation of one of Ian McEwan’s novels. Back in 2007, the actor featured in tragic romantic drama Atonement alongside James McAvoy and Keira Knightley. In fact, it was this role that inspired Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss to cast him in Sherlock. It’s fitting, then, that this is his first TV role since the hit detective show has been put on hiatus.
Cumberbatch is also credited as a producer on the 90-minute TV movie and it will be the first drama to come out of the actor’s new production company SunnyMarch TV. It’s written by Stephen Butchard (The Last Kingdom) and directed by Julian Farino (Ballers), while co-stars include Stephen Campbell Moore (The History Boys) and Saskia Reeves (Luther).
Speaking about what attracted him to the project, Cumberbatch previously said the following:
“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.”
The Child in Time doesn’t yet have a broadcast date, but it’s been promised to arrive very soon. Watch this space for more.