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| Doctor Strange star Cumberbatch will take lead in How To Stop Time Photo: Film Frame ..©2016 Marvel. All Rights Reserved. |
The star will also executive produce the film via his SunnyMarch production company, alongside Canongate Books chief Jamie Byng. whose firm will publish the book in July and Studiocanal, who took a minority stake in SunnyMarch last year.
The book is Matt Haig's first adult novel in four years. It is a love story that charts the life of Tom Hazard (Cumberbatch), a man who may look like an ordinary 41-year-old but, owing to an extremely rare condition, he’s been alive for centuries.
Studiocanal is fully financing and will distribute in their territories, UK, France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand, and will be handling international sales.
Studiocanal also have the screen rights to Haig’s children's books The Boy Called Christmas and its sequel The Girl Who Saved Christmas, and have been fast-tracking development of a feature film adaptation.
Matt Haig said: “The prospect of Benedict Cumberbatch playing Tom Hazard is a hugely exciting one and I could not be happier about working with Adam and Jamie, and to be reunited with Studiocanal.”
The author, who also wrote the memoir Reasons To Stay Alive, previously worked in a screenwriting capacity on Studiocanal and Heyday Films' children's hit Paddington.
SunnyMarch managing director Adam Ackland said: “We have been huge fans of Matt's for a long time and always admired his wonderfully playful and deeply honest work. How To Stop Time delivers all of this and much much more...we are truly excited to be taking this on with such a talented team already in place.”
Studiocanal UK CEO Danny Perkins sad: “We are delighted to be continuing our successful relationship with Matt Haig as well as build upon our long-running and dynamic partnership with SunnyMarch, Benedict Cumberbatch and Adam Ackland. This compelling novel will make for a powerful film that falls in line with Studiocanal's ongoing commitment to British talent, storytelling and production. We look forward to bringing it to audiences around the world.”
