Cumberbatch to produce and star in Rogue Male

The thriller tells the story of a hunter who attempts to assassinate a dictator but is caught and tortured

Benedict Cumberbatch is to produce and star in a new film production of the classic British novel Rogue Male.

Michael Lesslie, who has also adapted Macbeth and Assassin's Creed, is to write the screenplay.

Rogue Male was originally written by Geoffrey Household in 1939.

Cumberbatch told The Hollywood Reporter: "I am thrilled both as an actor and producer to be working on bringing this most treasured of English novels to the big screen."

Household wrote 28 novels but Rogue Male was a best-seller and is regarded as his finest work.

The thriller tells the story of a hunter who attempts to assassinate a dictator but is caught and tortured. He escapes home to England but then has to evade capture from enemy agents and police.

The story has previously been adapted by 20th Century Fox, whose 1940 production Man Hunt presented Hitler as the dictator and starred Walter Pidgeon.

Peter O'Toole appeared in a BBC adaption made for television in 1977.

Cumberbatch, who read Household's novel several years ago, was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in 2014's The Imitation Game and was made a CBE last year.