Benedict Cumberbatch will produce and star in a movie adaptation of Matt Haig’s novel How To Stop Time.
The Doctor Strange actor will take the lead in the film version of the author’s forthcoming book, which tells the story of Tom Hazard, a 41-year-old with an extremely rare condition that has kept him alive for centuries.
The book and film are billed as a love story spanning time and continents.
Benedict will executive produce the film through his SunnyMarch production company alongside Jamie Byng, the chief executive of the book’s publisher Canongate Books.
Adam Ackland, the managing director of Benedict’s production company said in a statement: “We have been huge fans of Matt’s for a long time and always admired his wonderfully playful and deeply honest work.
“How To Stop Time delivers all of this and much much more… we are truly excited to be taking this on with such a talented team already in place.”
The film will be financed by French film company Studiocanal.
Matt, whose novel is released in July (17), added: “The prospect of Benedict Cumberbatch playing Tom Hazard is a hugely exciting one and I could not be happier about working with Adam and Jamie, and to be reunited with Studiocanal.”
Benedict, 40, has a busy few years ahead of him as in addition to his work on How To Stop Time, he is also set to star as Dr. Stephen Strange in at least two forthcoming Marvel movies and will play American inventor Thomas Edison in historical drama The Current War, which began filming in January (17).
He will also voice deadly tiger Shere Khan in Andy Serkis’ version of The Jungle Book, due out in 2018.
A release date for How To Stop Time is yet to be announced.
