Benedict Cumberbatch to Star in Sci-Fi Movie From Assassin's Creed Director

Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog, Spider-Man: No Way Home) will be starring in a supporting role along with executive producing Morning, the upcoming sci-fi feature from Justin Kurzel (Assassin's Creed, Macbeth). Laura Dern (Big Little Lies) will also star in the project with Noah Jupe (A Quiet Place).

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the plot of Morning is set in a near-future where society has a pill that does away with the need to sleep. With the added help of an artificial sun, there is finally no end to morning daylight, living, and work. But as a young generation grows up deprived of the world of sleep, is it time for them to rebel and reclaim their dreams?

HanWay Films will handle international sales and distribution and will commence sales at the EFM (European Film Market). CAA Media Finance and UTA Independent Film Group are co-repping the US sale.

Morning was written by Manchester-born writer Sam Steiner whose screenplay was picked up by Cumberbatch and Adam Ackland's SunnyMarch. SunnyMarch's head of film, Leah Clarke, is producing alongside Ackland.

Cumberbatch will executive produce alongside Dern and Jayme Lemons, through their company Jaywalker Pictures, and Marnie Podos. The film will reunite Kurzel with several of his previous collaborators including Emmy Award-winning cinematographer Adam Arkapaw and BAFTA Award-nominated costume designer Alice Babidge.

Kurzel's most recent feature film Nitram was nominated for the Palme d'Or, and lead actor Caleb Landry Jones won the Best Actor award at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. In addition to Morning, Steiner's current projects include the horror film Banquet, to be directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia.