Benedict Cumbermatch may be rumoured to be swinging the ol’ red lightsaber around in the upcoming Star Wars Episode VII, but until that rumour breaks the internet in half, I’m going to stick to the facts. When it comes to movies, one film that Cumbermatch will be joining is The Lost City of Z. Here’s what you can expect from that partnership with director James Gray.
Based on the David Grann book, the film will tell the story of Percy Fawcett, an adventurer who went missing on an ill-fated expedition into the Amazon.Cumbertmatch is in negotiations right now to star as Percy, according to Deadline. Here’s the book description from Amazon.com, which is not where Fawcett disappeared:
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.
The film has been bubbling away for years now, but it’s good catc h to have Cumbermatch onboard. Recent films such as Star Trek into Darkness and The Fifth Estate have raised his profile, plus he’s going to be seen in a few more films hitting the screen in the next year or so.
Cumbermatch will have to age up a bit for the role though. He’s a spry 37 compared to Fawcett who was 57 when he went missing. But he’s a good choice regardless.
Last Updated: September 5, 2013
