Paul Greengrass To Direct Benedict Cumberbatch In English Peasant Revolt Drama ‘Hood’

As this year’s Cannes Film Festival gets underway, the marketplace for upcoming films that happens each year at the festival heats up too. And the crop at Cannes 2022 looks very appealing so far, with Cronenberg‘s “The Shrouds,” a couple of films starring Jessie Buckley, and Michel Gondry‘s first movie in seven years all up for sale.

READ MORE: Cannes 2022 Preview: 25 Must-See Films To Watch

Add Paul Greengrass‘s latest film to that list. Greengrass writes and directs “The Hood,” with Benedict Cumberbatch to star, an action drama set during the peasant revolt in England. Imagine “Gladiator” or “Braveheart” in the 1380s, and you have the gist.

Greengrass’s last film, 2020’s “News Of The World,” was also a period piece: a Civil War-set drama starring Tom Hanks. No word if Greengrass adopts “The Hood” from a novel like that movie. Meanwhile, Cumberbatch comes off of reprising Dr. Stephen Strange in Sam Raimi‘s “Doctor Strange And The Multiverse Of Madness” and his Oscar-nominated performance in Jane Campion‘s “The Power Of The Dog.”

Tyler Thompson and Greggory Goodman will co-produce “The Hood” through Thompson’s Cross Creek. Cross Creek has another title on sale at the Cannes market at this year’s festival: “Melody,” an animated musical led by Katy Perry.

So, will “The Hood” be the William Wallace or Maximus Meridius of Cumberbatch’s career? Production for “The Hood” likely won’t start until next year, so we’ll get our answer to that one in 2024, at the earliest.