Benedict Cumberbatch To Star in Adaptation of ‘Grief is the Thing with Feathers’

Benedict Cumberbatch has signed on to star in the adaptation of Max Foster’s novel Grief is the Thing with Feathers from Dylan Southern.

The novel focuses on a young father and illustrator (Cumberbatch) and his two boys having to deal with the sudden loss of their wife and mother. His reality begins to crumble, and a presence stalks him in the apartment he shares now with his two boys. However, a creature brought to life from the pages of his books known as the “Crow” becomes a part of their lives, ushering them toward a new life.

The feature adaptation will be called The Thing With Feathers and is produced by Andrea Cornwall with SunnyMarch’s Adam Ackland and Leah Clarke.

“Having been a huge fan of Max Porter’s extraordinary book and Enda Walsh’s stage adaptation I was skeptical about a film adaptation. But the experience of reading Dylan Southern’s adaptation rekindled the cinematic memory of reading this most visceral tale of a family consumed by grief,” said Cumberbatch for Deadline.

The news was first reported by Deadline.