Benedict Cumberbatch is in talks to play Alan Turing in THE IMITATION GAME, the next film from HEADHUNTERS director Morten Tyldum. And I couldn’t be more excited about it.
Alan Turing should be a household name. Not only is he the father of computer science, but he is also a true British hero. He was instrumental in decoding German ciphers in World War II and helping us win. He is a bone fide legend, a gay icon and one of the most tragic figures in our history, as well as a personal hero of mine.
Last year we reported that Leonardo DiCaprio was set to play the iconic figure, (see here) but that fell by the wayside. Here’s hoping that Cumberbatch will nab the role, in fact we hope he has time to. He’s been pretty busy of late, what with playing the villains in STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS and THE HOBBIT trilogy, starring alongside Brad Pitt and Michael Fassbender in Steve McQueen’s TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE and at some point, doing the third series of SHERLOCK. Norwegian director Morten Tyldum is an ideal choice to helm a project on Turing, as HEADHUNTERS was a masterclass in high drama and subtlety, two aspects which are reflected in the life of the legendary mathematician.
The story of Alan Turing needs to be heard by everyone. He was discovered to be a homosexual, was turned upon by the government he had served so well, was chemically castrated and banned from working on the projects which he had instigated. Driven to despair, he apparently took his own life by eating an apple laced with cyanide, in a final tribute to one of his favourite stories, Snow White. Steve Jobs is reported to have named his company after that very incident, so it gives you some idea of Turing’s impact on the world of computing that the head of Apple cites him as an inspiration. And not just computing, he helped us win World War II. Not only was a genius, he was a badass.
It took the British Government fifty five years to apologise for the way Alan Turing was treated. We imagine the (apparently incredible) script by Graham Moore will show him more respect, and with Tyldum behind the camera and (hopefully) Cumberbatch in front of it, his story will reach millions.
Source: Deadline
