Guillermo Del Toro Wants Benedict Cumberbatch For ‘Frankenstein’
As a director,Guillermo Del Toroisn’t unusually prolific. He’s made eight films in the last two decades, which puts him comfortably between pre-Tree of LifeTerrence Malick and post-Tree of LifeTerrence Malick on the productivity scale. But at any given moment, he’s talking up so many intriguing projects that it’s easy to forget he can’t actually make them all at once.
Currently, he’s waiting for the opening ofPacific Rimwhile getting the pieces together forCrimson Peak. Beyond that, he’s also working onDark Universe,Slaughterhouse Five, and possiblyHellboy 3andPacific Rim 2. All of which means it’ll probably be a while before he gets toFrankenstein, but he already has an idea of whom he wants to star when he does:Benedict Cumberbatch. Hit the jump for more deatils.
Frankensteinhas been in development since about 2009, and Del Toro has previously said that he wantsHellboyactorDoug Jonesto play the monster. However, it’s unclear now whether Del Toro is hoping Cumberbatch will join Jones as Dr. Victor Frankenstein, or replace him as the creature. Either way, the Brit actor should fit in easily. In 2011, he and Jonny Lee Miller co-starred in Danny Boyle’sstage productionof the story, switching between the two leads on alternating nights.
Of course, Del Toro’s comments don’t amount to much more than wishful thinking at the moment. He’ll be tied up withCrimson Peakfor the next year and half, so even if he choosesFrankensteinfor his next project it won’t shoot before 2015 at the very earliest. And there’s no guarantee Cumberbatch will be free at that point, either. The star has four more films due out in 2013, plus the Alan Turing biopicThe Imitation Game, the thirdHobbitmovie, and Del Toro’s ownCrimson Peakcoming out after that.
