Benedict Cumberbatch to Climb ‘Blood Mountain’

Things seem to keep coming up roses for Benedict Cumberbatch. In the past three years since Sherlock turned him into a household name, he’s scored fantastic supporting roles in some of the most critically and commercially successful films both in the U.S. and across the pond, including Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy, Star Trek Into Darkness, and the Hobbit trilogy. Now, Cumberbatch is poised put on his leading man shoes in Blood Mountain, from Russian director Sergey Bodrov.

The film will follow a military contractor whose special forces team is ambushed and slaughtered during a raid, forcing him to singlehandedly escort a dangerous terrorist across enemy territory in order to bring him to justice.  Benedict Cumberbatch has shown himself to be one of the most versatile and interesting actors of his generation, and his turn as Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness proved him capable of shouldering an action role.

But Cumberbatch isn’t the only exciting talent behind Blood Mountain.  Two of director Sergey Bodrov’s films have been nominated for Academy Awards: Prisoner of the Mountains and the excellent Mongol.  Jonathan Stokes (El Gringo) is providing the script and the film is being produced by Lawrence Bender, the producer of several Tarantino films including Pulp Fiction and Inglorious Basterds.

The film is aiming to get a place on buyers’ lists at the European Film Market in Berlin, and with Cumberbatch’s attachment that bodes well for its chances to hop to this side of the pond. Principle photography is set to begin in Morocco this April.