Rupert Friend joins Benedict Cumberbatch in Wes Anderson's upcoming film
Jan 13, 2022
Washington [US], January 13 : Actor Rupert Friend has joined the cast of ace filmmaker Wes Anderson's adaptation of Roald Dahl's short story collection 'The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More'.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, Friend has joined previously announced cast members including Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Ralph Fiennes and Ben Kingsley. The upcoming Netflix project will get underway this week in London.
Anderson, who wrote the script and is directing, has divided the adaptation into three chapters, with Cumberbatch serving as a connective thread through each one. He will play multiple roles, including the titular Sugar.
According to sources, Friend is the lead star of one of the three chapters. It is currently unclear what roles Patel, Fiennes and Kingsley are playing.
Published in 1982, the book featured both fiction and nonfiction stories. The title tale is centred on Henry Sugar, a man who steals a book that shows him how to see through objects and predict the future. This sparks a series of misadventures that involve evading Mafia henchmen, working with a Hollywood makeup artist to craft new identities, and setting up orphanages around the world.
Coming back to Friend, the actor has become a reliable part of the Anderson acting repertoire, a stable of thespians the filmmaker likes to call upon time and again.
The upcoming film marks the third Anderson movie for the actor, who had a role in 'The French Dispatch' and shot an untitled Anderson film last fall.
The actor is widely known for starring in 'Hitman: Agent 47' as well as his season-spanning appearances in the acclaimed series 'Homeland'. He will soon be seen in Lucasfilm's Star Wars series 'Obi-Wan Kenobi'.
