Benedict Cumberbatch as James Bond? While that is not quite on the cards for the Doctor Strange star, it looks like he may be getting the next best thing with his next movie. During an appearance on the Smartless podcast, Cumberbatch suggested that his long-in-development adaptation of the 1939 novel Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household may finally start moving forward next year, the novel being one of the influences behind Ian Fleming’s MI6 agent.
While speaking to Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett, Cumberbatch briefly touched on the project, saying that there is no filming date currently set for the movie, but that it is “something we are trying to slate for next year.” This seems to come with a big caveat, as he added that while it is a movie he will “definitely make,” there are “other huge commitments involving cloaks floating around.”
This last comment is clearly linked to his assumed involvement in the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars, which is set to film through 2026 ahead of its December 2027 release. While there has been no official confirmation of any casting for the final movie in Marvel’s Multiverse Saga, it is assumed that any and every superhero currently still in play in the MCU will be involved in some way, and Doctor Strange is certainly one of the biggest characters on the roster.
However, Cumberbatch is about more than just mystical cloaks, and Rogue Male could be just the right role for the British actor to take on to make people wish that he had once stepped into the part of the world’s most famous spy.
‘Rogue Male’ Is a Precursor to James Bond
Cumberbatch’s association with Rogue Male is certainly nothing new, as the actor’s SunnyMarch production company snapped up the rights to the novel almost a decade ago in 2016. Assassin’s Creed writer Michael Lesslie was added to the production to complete the screenplay.
Cumberbatch describes the story as “the original fugitive novel and a huge inspiration for Ian Fleming for Bond. The longer we were exploring the themes of it and the motivation behind the guy’s actions, and the outcome, and how he’s turned on by his own side, as well as the side he’s trying to take down, it’s fascinating how it plays into the political spectrum of what’s going on in the world right now.”
The story of Rogue Male sees an English sportsman attempting to assassinate a European dictator. Based on the time the novel was written, this is suggested to be Adolph Hitler. After failing in his attempt and being captured, he finally escapes to England, where he is hunted by both enemies and government authorities. It is not hard to see how this could be seen as a precursor to Fleming’s Bond.
Cumberbatch’s take on the material would be the third iteration of the novel, which was previously adapted as Man Hunt in 1940, and again in a BBC TV movie in 1977. It is not known whether the new movie will change the setting to modern day or remain a period piece, but Cumberbatch’s comments about how the story fits with the current political landscape, a contemporary version seems likely.