Benedict Cumberbatch is moving forward with his plans to finally bring Thug male on screen.
The actor confirmed that the adaptation is still underway and that he hopes to begin filming in 2026, years after first announcing the project.
Cumberbatch and his company SunnyMarch revealed in 2016 that they were planning to adapt Geoffrey Household’s classic novel, but the film has yet to enter production.
Speaking on the Less intelligent podcast with Sean Hayes, Jason Bateman and Will Arnett, Cumberbatch shared an update and said: “We don’t have a filming date yet, but it’s something we’re trying to plan for next year. We’ll get there, definitely.”
The actor hinted that scheduling conflicts were a factor and joked about “other huge commitments involving flowing capes,” which strongly suggested he would return as Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Rogue Male was first published in 1939 and tells the story of an anonymous English hunter who attempts to assassinate a European dictator believed to be Adolf Hitler.
After being captured and tortured, he managed to escape to England, only to be hunted down by enemy agents and his own government.
Cumberbatch described the book as “the original fugitive novel and a huge inspiration for Ian Fleming for Bond”.
He said that when he and his team first discussed adapting it, they wondered if it was “a bit of a guy’s movie”. But as they delved deeper into the themes and character’s journey, it became clear how relevant the story still feels today.
He explained that the thriller’s ideas about betrayal and politics are “fascinating because they fit into the political spectrum of what’s happening in the world right now.”
When the project was first revealed, writer Michael Lesslie was hired to write the screenplay, and the film was put together at Fox Searchlight with Cumberbatch in the lead role.
The novel has been adapted before, including a 1977 BBC version starring Peter O’Toole and a 1940 film called Manhunt.
