Benedict Cumberbatch and Laura Dern to Star in New Sci-Fi Movie
Doctor Strange star Benedict Cumberbatch and Dr. Ellie Sattler actress Laura Dern will appear in a new sci-fi movie together from the director of Assassin's Creed. The film, which will also star Noah Jupe (A Quiet Place), takes place in a world with no night, where medication has made it unnecessary to sleep and technology can simulate 24-hour daylight. Cumberbatch will play a supporting role, with Dern and Jupe playing a mother and son. Titled Morning, Justin Kurzel will direct the film from a screenplay by Sam Steiner (Comeback Kid).
TheWrap broke the news. You can read the official synopsis for the film below, courtesy their report.
"Ambitious and driven Cathy (Dern) was an early advocate of a sleepless world, but as she and her son Danny (Jupe) pick up the pieces of their lives following the death of her husband Frank (Cumberbatch), she finds the universe she helped to build is starting to crumble around her, whilst memories she fought so hard to repress are bleeding into her waking life. As Danny is further drawn into a subversive underworld of dreamers, Cathy must confront her nightmares and fight hard not to lose her son."
"Morning is a joyful, reflective, and defiant story about a reality not so far from our own where a preoccupation with productivity has destroyed our ability to connect, grieve and love," producer Adam Ackland said in a statement. "We cannot wait to see this incredibly talented cast and creative team headed by Justin, Laura and Noah bring Sam's brilliantly original script to life."
Dern is set to appear in Jurassic World: Dominion, having just wrapped on her time with the Netflix animated comedy F is For Family. The acclaimed actor received an Academy Award as well as a BAFTA for her performance in Marriage Story in 2019. Her Jurassic World return is the first time fan will see her share the screen with Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neil since the original Jurassic Park, with Goldblum and Neil appearing in The Lost World while Jurassic Park III featured Neil and Dern.
Cumberbatch, of course, has spent much of the last few years in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but 2021 was especially productive for him. With a sequel to Doctor Strange coming up, Cumberbatch appeared in Marvel's What If...? as well as Spider-Man: No Way Home, reprising his role from previous films. Outside of the MCU, Cumberbatch is drawing rave reviews for The Power of the Dog, a Western from director Jane Campion, which released to Netflix in November.
There is no official word yet on when Morning will enter production, or when it is targeting a release date.