Benedict Cumberbatch to estrella in, Produce ‘Rogue Male’ Adaptation 

Benedict Cumberbatch is set to star in an adaptation of the classic British novel “Rogue Male” for Fox Searchlight.

He will also produce with Lloyd Levin, Branwen Prestwood Smith and Beatriz Levin of Black Sheep Pictures. Also producing will be Adam Ackland of SunnyMarch, Cumberbatch’s production company.

Michael Lesslie has been hired to write the screenplay.

The thriller is about a hunter who attempts to assassinate a dictator but is caught, tortured and left for dead. When he escapes back home to England, he must hide out in a harsh, rural countryside while enemy agents and the police are in hot pursuit. The book was published in 1939 and the author, Geoffrey Household, said the dictator was intended to be a stand-in for Adolph Hitler.

Cumberbatch, who is repped by UTA, can be seen next in Marvel’s “Doctor Strange,” which bows in November.

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It’s been adapted before, in 1941, as “Man Hunt” – written by Dudley Nichols and directed by Fritz Lang .

And a good 1976 BBC TV movie version with Peter O’Toole … his favourite career role.