Benedict Cumberbatch has joined the film adaptation of David Grann’s The Lost City of Z, showcasing yet again how much the actor is in demand.
Deadline is reporting that Cumberbatch is close to joining Lost City of Z. Cumberbatch is in talks to play Percy Fawcett, who in 1925 headed into the deep Amazon jungles in Brazil.
The film is based off of the book of virtually the same name, The Lost City of Z.
Here’s the book’s description from Amazon:
In 1925, the legendary British explorer Percy Fawcett ventured into the Amazon jungle, in search of a fabled civilization. He never returned. Over the years countless perished trying to find evidence of his party and the place he called “The Lost City of Z.” In this masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, journalist David Grann interweaves the spellbinding stories of Fawcett’s quest for “Z” and his own journey into the deadly jungle, as he unravels the greatest exploration mystery of the twentieth century.
When Cumberbatch left Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak, it was widely speculated that it was because he was joining Star Wars: Episode VII. There was an unverified report that Cumberbatch would be joining the highly anticipated film scheduled for release in 2015.
According to the New York Daily News, Cumberbatch’s representatives have said that this is not the case:
There is no truth to the rumour Benedict has been cast in Star Wars. I think the rumours are circling because JJ and Benedict have just recently had a wonderful time working together on Star Trek.
While it’s still possible that Cumberbatch could join Star Wars: Episode VII, it’s looking unlikely.