Is Benedict Cumberbatch set to appear in Star Wars?

If you were on the internet last week you might have noticed things going a bit slower than usual.

It was more ponderous, in fact, than Jabba the Hutt running for the bus.

That’s right, the trailer for the new Star Wars movie came out, causing delight amongst several million children, and several million more grown-up children.

The trailer for The Force Awakens sent the rumour mill into overdrive, and I’ve heard whispers an actor who has so far not been linked to next year’s reboot will appear as the surprise villain.

It’s no surprise the name being bandied around is Benedict Cumberbatch, the Hollywood man of the moment. It seems there’s nothing he can’t do.

He’s already been Khan in Star Trek and Smaug in The Hobbit so why not play a villain in the enormous Star Wars franchise?

I chatted to Benedict last week. So far he’s denying appearing in Star Wars, but he is appearing in the Penguins of Madagascar spin-off movie, out this week. In it he plays a super-spy animated wolf character, who’s not unlike another certain British secret agent.

Benedict’s a great laugh we ended up having a contest with each other over who can do the best Bond impressions.

“There’s a lot of me having a lot of fun in this movie,” said Benedict. “The character doesn’t think he’s Bond, he’s just English and a bit suave.

“That’s where the Bond comparisons end. He’s more like someone in the office of MI6 rather than a lone wolf. No pun intended.”

As well as crowd-pleasing blockbusters, Benedict is excellent as more intellectual, down-to-earth characters.

He’s made Sherlock Holmes his own and is fresh from starring in The Imitation Game and his performance in that makes him a stick-on for a Best Actor Oscar nomination come February, too.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=S5CjKEFb-sM

It’s no wonder. I reckon Benedict is the finest actor of this generation, and he’s only going to get better.

He’s a dead nice fella too. At the Oscars three years ago, I was on the red carpet as Benedict strolled by. He wasn’t a well-known face so none of the other crews were bothered about chatting to him.

I managed to grab him and he was happy to stop and chat. And he was happy to wait for us to come back from an ad break, chatting away the whole time.

The great thing is he’s taken the fame in his stride.

“It’s kind of extraordinary, like a whirlwind at times,” he smiled. “I’ve been relishing it, though. I’ve got a really good team helping me.

“As Sherlock Holmes said, a change of work is as good as a rest.”