Please, allow me to take your mind away from whatever might be ailing you this morning: Last year, Danny Boyle brought Mary Shelley‘s Frankenstein to the stage in a production that cast Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller as Victor Frankenstein and his monster, with both actors switching roles throughout the two-month run. This was exciting enough, but we just found out that the play will be produced for the movie theater as well and will appear on screens in the United States next month. And that is one of the best opening paragraphs I have ever had the chance to write.
I think the most exciting part of this is that someone realized that considering the popularity of Cumberbatch (and Miller and Boyle, for that matter), many, many people would be interested in seeing a staged production of Frankenstein with all those guys in it. And they were kind enough to think, “You know, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat did great when it was turned into a movie and then went straight to video. And people really like Benedict Cumberbatch these days. We should totally turn this stage production into a movie so other people can see it!”
And that’s exactly what the plan is. And yes, we will get to see both performances, with Miller as Dr. Frankenstein and Cumberbatch as his monster and vice versa. For two nights, June 6 and 7, select theaters will hold screenings of the production, one night of each performance. Frankenstein went over incredibly well in the UK, and both actors shared an Olivier Award for Best Actor for their work. Also a fun fact: We all know Cumberbatch plays Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock, and we recently found out that Miller is playing Holmes in CBS‘s Elementary. So, that’s delightful.
Presented by Fathom Events, Frankenstein will show in these theaters on Wednesday, June 6 and Thursday, June 7 at these locations at 7:00 PM each night.
Now you’re even more psyched, aren’t you?
(via The Hollywood Reporter)
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