Benedict Cumberbatch Will Fight Nazis With Magic in THE WAR MAGICIAN
Benedict Cumberbatch is currently shooting Doctor Strange, but he just landed the lead role in a World War II drama called The War Magician. The project has been in development since 2003, and it looks like it’s finally going to get made. In the film, Cumberbatch will fight the Nazis with illusions and magic.
The film is based on a fact-based novel by David Fisher, and the script for the film itself is being adapted by Gary Whita, who recently wrote Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. This film could be incredible, and with Cumberbatch on board, there’s no doubt we’ll get a great performance. Variety offers the following details on the story:
Cumberbatch will play the titular British hero Jasper Maskelyne, the magician whose illusions helped the allied forces fight against the Nazis during World War II. Maskelyne put together a “dirty dozen” of accomplices known as “The Magic Gang,” who were able to make tanks, troops and buildings seem to disappear, along with conjuring phony armies.
Maskelyne and his associates also managed conceal the Alexandria harbor and the Suez Canal, where there were 150,000 men with 1,000 guns and tanks, turning the tide of the war against General Rommel and the Germans in North Africa.
He created a bogus Alexandria harbor that attracted most of the nightly bombing raids and shielded troops in the Suez through anti-aircraft searchlights and mirrors that blinded Nazi pilots. Maskelyne’s techniques resulted in Adolf Hitler adding him to his personal blacklist alongside men like Douglas MacArthur and British Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery.
How freakin' awesome does that sound!? There’s no director currently attached to take on the project, but back in 2012 World War Z director Marc Forster was supposed to take it on. Before that, Paul Wagner was going to direct in 2003. Neither of those guys are involved with the project at this point.
Apparently, Cumberbatch has been in discussions about joining the film since last year. It’s good to see that everything has come together. Now all they need is a talented director to bring this incredible story to life on the big screen.
Producer Bob Cooper had this to say in a statement:
“The Maskelyne character is so different from the one that Benedict portrayed in ‘The Imitation Game’ in that Maskelyne was very outgoing and confident. We think this is a perfect blend of acting talent with material.”
I’m excited to see how this thing turns out!