It feels like Benedict Cumberbatch hasn’t been in the public eye much, even during the cultural impact of Avengers: Endgame, his character Doctor Strange felt sidelined. An appetiser before the main course of Iron Man and Captain America. It looks as though he could be coming back into prevalence however with the release of Netflix’s The Power of the Dog later this year.
The first photo of the Western drama shows Cumberbatch as rancher Phil Burbank, a sinister individual who “inspires fear and awe in those around him” according to the Netflix synopsis. Adapted from the 1967 book of the same name written by Thomas Savage, the historical drama follows Phil Burbanks’ torment of his brother’s family “until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love”.
Also featuring Fargo season two co-stars Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons, alongside American Horror Story’s Frances Conroy, the new film, directed by Jane Campion, will premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival in September.
In a statement, the director announced, “I am very honoured that The Power of the Dog has been selected as the centrepiece gala at this year’s New York Film Festival”. She continued, expressing her joy at the prospect of full-capacity cinemas, noting “Public screenings we long took for granted feel exceptional now, so it is going to be a very emotional and joyous experience for me and my team to be there and present the film to such a film-celebrating audience”.
Director of programming for the New York Film Festival, Dennis Lim added, “Everything about The Power of the Dog is alive with surprise: its narrative turns, its rich characterizations, its complex ideas about masculinity and repression”.
Campion’s The Power of the Dog is due for release later this year.