See Benedict Cumberbatch As A Cold War Spy In His New Movie
Benedict Cumberbatch is now best known as Doctor Strange, but his next movie has him back in the Cold War and we have some new images.
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We have our first look at images from Benedict Cumberbatch’s upcoming Cold War thriller, The Courier. This time, the actor famous for his role as Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe stars as a real-life businessman who helped the CIA penetrate the Soviet nuclear program. The pictures show a real transformation for the actor, speaking to his dedication in taking on this particular role.
In these new images for the film, we see Benedict Cumberbatch looking more adult than ever. He hardly looks like the guy who makes us giggle when he says penguins. In The Courier, he’s wearing suits, fedoras, trench coats, and sporting a mustache. Following a trope we should expect to see in a Cold War thriller, there’s actually a shot of him wearing a fedora in an old-style wooden phone booth, reaching for something in the breast of his trenchcoat that we can assume is a gun. The movie isn’t going to be campy though. This is a true story of espionage. Just from the images, you can tell they’ll be discussing The Courier when they’re considering Oscar nominations soon.
The pictures also show star, Rachel Brosnahan. You may know her as the star of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Here, we see her with blond hair as Emily Donovan. The story focuses on how average people, like those played by Benedict Cumberbatch and Rachel Brosnahan, came to play a major role in how the Cold War moved forward. The story begins in 1960 when both the USSR and the United States were building stockpiles of nuclear weapons. The movie is directed by Dominic Cooke and written by Tom O’Connor.
The Courier first premiered last year at Sundance. At the time, the film was titled Ironbark. The original title came from the codename for one of the characters, a Russian asset working in the middle of the looming Cuban Missile Crisis. After premiering at Sundance Film Festival, the movie was met with rave reviews from critics, who loved Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance. They called the movie itself a “Cold War thriller done right”.
Though The Courier doesn’t premiere to audiences until March 19th, there is already Oscar discussion. Official voting won’t begin until a few weeks after the premiere, so it’s coming out just in time to get the notice it seems to be going after. While there is already a great deal of competition out there, it’s expected this movie may get Cumberbatch noticed in the Best Actor category. It wouldn’t be the first time Benedict Cumberbatch has been nominated. He earned a nomination for his role in the movie The Imitation Game. In the 2014 film, he starred as Alan Turing, another notable figure from British history.
Benedict Cumberbatch has had a varied and full career so far, and it isn’t slowing down. We’re currently waiting on the release of both Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness and Spider-Man 3, where he’ll be playing Doctor Strange. Though the BBC hasn’t confirmed it, fans are hopeful they’ll see him in the fifth season of Sherlock. He plays the role of Stu Couch in the upcoming movie The Mauritanian, releasing in late February 2021. With so many major films on the way, and possibly an Oscar nomination, it’s a good moment to be a fan of Benedict Cumberbatch, whatever you call yourself.
