Benedict Cumberbatch To Star In Gypsy Boy

We had one look at family pressure among the Romany Gypsy people this year with this year's Michael Fassbender/Brendan Gleeson pic Trespass Against Us. Now Benedict Cumberbatch is headlining another, called Gypsy Boy.

The film, which Morgan Matthews is on to direct from James Graham's script, adapts Mikey Walsh's memoir of growing up in the community. Groomed from a young age to be a boxer, the sheer weight of expectation on him starts to split the family apart.

"I was immediately drawn to Mikey’s courageous and heart-breaking story. And his father Frank is unlike any character I’ve played before," Cumberbatch says. "He’s a complex man torn between tradition and his love for a son struggling to come to terms with an identity that’s completely at odds with Frank and his culture."

Matthews should have the cameras rolling next summer once an actor is found to play Mikey. Cumberbatch's latest, The Current War, has just premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and arrives here on 5 January. He'll also be back as Dr. Stephen Strange for Thor: Ragnarok, landing 24 October.

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