Benedict Cumberbatch may have found his next role: playing the namesake of The Man in the Rockefeller Suit. In 2010, the BBC’s Sherlock introduced many viewers to the onscreen charisma and talents of Cumberbatch for the first time. Since then, Cumberbatch has been on a non-stop roll, snagging roles in high-profile projects like Star Trek Into Darkness and The Hobbit trilogy, among others. Just last year in fact, Cumberbatch conquered yet another cinematic milestone, when he made his onscreen debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Stephen Strange in Doctor Strange.
One of the truly admirable feats of Cumberbatch’s career up until this point, though, is how well the movie star has been able to balance each new tentpole project with a healthy amount of independent, character dramas along the way. Whether it be ensemble pieces like August Osage County, Black Mass, or awards contenders like The Imitation Game, he’s proven himself to be one of the most versatile onscreen thespians of his generation; with very few misses or disappointments along the way.
It looks like Cumberbatch may have set his sights on his next prestige drama now as well, with Deadline reporting that Cumberbatch is in talks to star as the lead in Fox Searchlight’s film adaptation of The Man in the Rockefeller Suit. Based on the novel of the same name by Mark Seal, the film is a priority adaptation for Fox Searchlight, with a script from David Bar Katz (The Pest). The studio is reportedly already looking to nail down a director and production start date on the project. Cumberbatch’s Black Mass director, Scott Cooper, was at one point attached to the project several years ago, but it appears things have changed since then.
The story of The Man in the Rockefeller Suit is an interesting one, to say the least, with plenty of material available to turn it into a compelling, and unique true crime film. That makes it easy to see why Fox Searchlight is so desperate to get it going with a star like Cumberbatch attached. For those who don’t know, the book details the true story of Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, a German imposter who conned his way onto various high-profile jobs on Wall Street and a marriage, by posing as a member of the historic Rockefeller family.
If done right, the film could prove to be another possible awards-worthy turn for Cumberbatch, given that the right director is recruited. In the meantime, Cumberbatch has plenty of other films arriving soon, including Avengers: Infinity War (with Cumberbatch reprising as Stephen Strange) and The Current War; a film that stars Cumberbatch as Thomas Edison and costars such names as Michael Shannon, Tom Holland, Katherine Waterston and Nicholas Hoult. To say that Cumberbatch has turned himself into one of the most prolific stars of his generation would be an understatement - and the actor isn’t showing any signs of slowing down anytime soon, either.
Screen Rant will keep you in the loop on news regarding The Man in the Rockefeller Suit as more information is made available.
Source: Deadline
