Benedict Cumberbatch still has designs on playing the lead in a new take on the 1939 man-on-the-run novel that helped inspire the character of James Bond.
Rogue Male was first announced to be entering development back in 2016, but little has been heard about the project since. Recently, Cumberbatch updated the movie’s status with an assurance that it is indeed still on, and will begin shooting in the near future.
“We haven’t got a filming date yet, but it’s something we’re trying to slate for next year,” the Doctor Strange star confidently stated (via Smartless), adding “We will make it, definitely.”
Finding time to shoot Rogue Male continues to be complicated by, in Cumberbatch’s own words, “other huge commitments involving cloaks floating about,” an apparent reference to his ongoing involvement in the MCU.
Cumberbatch possibly confirmed back in January 2025 that he is slated to return as Stephen Strange in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, though he didn’t seem entirely sure. When asked in a recent interview with ScreenRant to elaborate on his involvement in the MCU, Cumberbatch declined, saying, “Honestly, it’s just not worth the backlash, trouble, and the boring nature of any answer following me around forever.”
When he finally finds the time to star in Rogue Male, Cumberbatch will play an English crackshot on vacation somewhere in 1930s Europe who seeks the unique thrill of getting the continent’s most fearsome dictator in his sniper sight.
The man succeeds in drawing a bead on the unnamed dictator only to be captured, tortured, and left for dead. The story then develops into a man-on-the-run thriller that Cumberbatch indirectly compares to Harrison Ford’s classic The Fugitive, while also referencing the original novel’s inspiration on the man who created 007.
“It’s the original fugitive novel and a huge inspiration for Ian Fleming for Bond,” Cumberbatch said.
But the star characterizes Rogue Male as something more than just a great old yarn, saying of its story, “It’s fascinating how it plays into the political spectrum of what’s going on in the world right now.”
It’s a tale that was first published by author Geoffrey Household back in 1939, and was first adapted into a film by the legendary director Fritz Lang as 1941’s Man Hunt. Peter O’Toole starred in a later adaptation made for BBC TV.
Assassin’s Creed movie writer Michael Lesslie was reported in 2016 to be penning the Rogue Male script. Cumberbatch can currently be seen in the U.K. and Ireland starring in the film The Thing With Feathers. His 2025 black comedy The Roses recently became available on Hulu.
Headshot Of Benedict Cumberbatch In The Doctor Strange Premiere
Birthdate
July 19, 1976
Birthplace
London, England
Height
6 feet 0 inches