Benedict Cumberbatch Replaces Tom Hardy in Major Movie

Benedict Cumberbatch is boarding a new movie and replacing Tom Hardy in the process. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cumberbatch has joined the cast of the Cary Fukunaga-directed Blood on Snow, an indie adaptation of the Jo Nesbo crime thriller of the same name. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Eva Green, Emma Laird, and Ben Mendelsohn also star in the film.

The Doctor Strange star will be replacing Hardy, who was set to star and produce but had to step away due to a scheduling conflict. Production is aiming to start at the end of the month in Latvia. The film/book follows a hitman and fixer named Olav (Taylor-Johnson), who is hired by his mob boss to kill his cheating wife. “When Olav convinces himself he’s fallen in love with the wife and doesn’t kill her, it sets off a chain of events with tragic consequences that threaten a bloody mob war.”

Although character descriptions have not been shared, it’s believed Cumberbatch will play rival mob boss the Fisherman. It’s unknown what kind of scheduling issues Hardy had that would take him away from the film, but according to his IMDb, the Venom actor has quite a lot of projects in the works.

Cumberbatch can most recently be seen in the British drama film The Thing with Features, which just premiered at Sundance. In 2024, he starred in the Netflix mini-series Eric and will next be seen in the movies The Phoenician Scheme, The Roses, and Wife & Dog. The English actor is staying as busy as ever, and with Blood on Snow now being added to his filmography, it will be exciting to see what he has next up his sleeve.

A release date for Blood on Snow has not been announced, but it’s likely more details surrounding the film will be released in the coming months. The wait will be worth it, and fans can always read the book to prepare themselves. It should be fun to see Benedict Cumberbatch playing a potential mob boss, and there is no telling what will happen and how things will go down in the upcoming movie.