We have a new trailer for the courier. While many big, flashy movies were pushed back to 2020, this is one that managed to go a bit under the radar despite having a cast led by Benedict Cumberbatch ( Doctor Strange, The Imitation Game ) and Rachel Brosnahan (House of Cards, The wonderful Mrs. Maisel ). But after being turned down a couple of times, Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions are finally gearing up to release the spy/thriller in March. And this new trailer gives us a look at Cumberbatch as an unlikely spy from the 1960s era.
The trailer opens in London around 1960. We see Benedict Cumberbatch’s character, Greville Wynne, a curmudgeonly salesman who ends up receiving an unexpected call from some government spies. Because he is simply a civilian, there is less reason for the KGB to suspect that he is a spy. As such, he is recruited to do exactly that; spy on the Russian government. The stakes are high as tensions rise between Russia and the rest of the world. This unsuspecting salesperson ends up having an important role to play in gathering crucial intelligence. And yes, it is based on a true story. It looks tense and like a good lead vehicle for Cumberbatch, who will get a chance to show off his skills.
The cast also includes Merab Ninidze ( Nowhere in Africa, Jupiter’s Moon ) and Jessie Buckley ( I’m thinking of ending things, Chernobyl ). The film is directed by Dominic Cooke ( On Chesil Beach ) and written by Tom O’Connor ( Hitman’s Bodyguard ). The thriller had previously been scheduled for release in August 2020. It originally debuted at the Sundance Film Festival under the title Ironbark. The studio chose to change that for release. When the August date was announced, Roadside Attractions co-chairs Howard Cohen and Eric d’Arbeloff expressed their belief that it would be a must-see for movie lovers.
Things have moved much more slowly than the studio anticipated, in terms of theaters picking up. But audiences may be interested in seeing Benedict Cumberbatch doing some spy shenanigans. It will only be in March instead of August. Its box office potential is likely still limited, though, as most movies haven’t done particularly well in recent months.
The Courier Service is a real-life spy thriller, the story of a modest British businessman Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch). He is recruited in one of the greatest international conflicts in history. The UK MI-6 and an American CIA agent (Rachel Brosnahan) bring it in and Wynne forms a covert and dangerous partnership with Soviet officer Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze) in an attempt to provide the critical intelligence needed to prevent a nuclear confrontation and defuse the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Benedict Cumberbatch is currently working on Doctor Strange in the multiverse of insanity, reprising his role as Marvel’s Sorcerer Supreme once again. Rachel Brosnahan, meanwhile, is filming The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 4. The courier hits theaters on March 19 from Attractions on the Road. Make sure to check out the trailer for yourself.
