From Smaug to "Star Trek" to "Sherlock," Benedict Cumberbatch is the man of the hour.
According to TheWrap, the busiest Brit in the biz is joining John Malkovich for "The Penguins of Madagascar," a feature-length spin-off of the popular "Madagascar" movies with Ben Stiller and Chris Rock.
Cumby is actually playing a good guy in this one, or at least a good critter of some sort; he's taking on the role of "a high-ranking animal CIA agent," with Malkovich voicing his target. (The CIA is really going to the animals these days, eh?)
DreamWorks has gotten a lot of mileage from these land-bound birds since the first "Madagascar" movie in 2005. There's a "Penguins of Madagascar" show on Nickelodeon, as well as a direct-to-DVD movie, a video game, and a comic book. Simon J. Smith, whose first feature was "Bee Movie," will be directing.
Don't worry, Cumberbatch fans, you'll be seeing plenty of his face in the coming months: His films "12 Years a Slave," "August: Osage County," and "The Fifth Estate" are all headed to theaters later this year.
"The Penguins of Madagascar" will be waddling into theaters March 27, 2015.
[via TheWrap]
