It’s a great week for Benedict Cumberbatch. Moviegoers around the world (though not yet in the U.S.) are currently flocking to see Star Trek Into Darkness, in which he plays the villain. And another film he’s set to star in has already become a humongous success thanks to a quick crowdfunding drive at Indiegogo. The newer project is a short titled Little Favour and will feature the Sherlock Holmes star as a PTSD-suffering man enlisted by an old friend (Harry Potter actor Nick Moran) to “help with a deal gone wrong.”
With six days still remaining in the effort, Little Favour has already greatly surpassed its goal of £25,000 ($38,385) and looks to possibly triple that amount. This is a pretty remarkable achievement for a campaign that has nothing illustrating its potential, not a video nor storyboards nor any other sort of proof of concept. We don’t even know how long it’ll be. And the film is written and will be directed by newcomer Patrick Viktor Monroe, who is otherwise best known as Tom Hardy’s personal trainer and assistant (he also beefed up Cumberbatch for Star Trek). Producers on the project are also relative unknowns, Adam Ackland (second AD on The Killing Gene) and Ben Dillon, whose usual job is coordinating vehicles for movies including the upcoming Kick-Ass 2.
Obviously Cumberbatch is the big draw for pledges, but even when factoring in the actor’s appeal the campaign is doing a lot better than expected. Perhaps it’s not just that fans want to see him in the short but want to also see him in person or getting an autograph. It’s unclear if the incentive packages offering signed copies of DVDs and screenplays would include his name, but other perks are onscreen appearances (sold out of course) and invites to the premiere and after party. Maybe Moran’s involvement is enticing, as well (Harry Potter fans… ), but right now Cumberbatch is apparently a huge deal.
Given that he is a huge deal, he also surely has the power to be picky with projects at the moment and chose this because he thinks it’s going to be good. That’s reason enough to trust that Little Favour has a decent script and will be worth watching. Maybe Monroe is destined for bigger things than making actors physically bigger. Hopefully we’ll be able to share more as the film begins shooting.
For now, check out Monroe’s debut short from last year, Oscar’s Escape, featuring cinematography by Bérénice Eveno, who was Wally Pfister’s assistant on The Dark Knight Rises:
