Guy Ritchie has assembled an Academy Award winner and two Academy Award nominees to helm his next film, “Wife & Dog.”
Benedict Cumberbatch, Rosamund Pike and Anthony Hopkins have been cast in the film, which was first reported by Variety in May. While the plot is still under wraps, “Wife & Dog” will see Ritchie return to the colorful, backstabbing world of the British upper classes, redoubling his efforts on a subject he recently explored in the film and TV series “The Gentleman.”
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The screenplay is written by Ritchie, who also produces alongside producing partner Evan Atkinson (“The Gentlemen,” “Wrath of Man”) and Black Bear’s John Friedberg (“The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,” “Ferrari”). Executive producers include Teddy Schwarzman and Michael Himmler for Black Bear.
Black Bear launched sales for “Wife & Dog” at Cannes earlier this year, and the film marks the company’s third collaboration with Ritchie and Atkinson following “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” and “In the Grey.” The picture will begin principal photography in February 2025 in the United Kingdom.
“Wife & Dog” was part of Black Bear’s recent lineup at the American Film Market, along with other films including Idris Elba’s action film “Hammer Down,” and Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s “Pendulum” directed by Mark Heyman, who wrote “Black Swan, Christy Martin’s untitled David Michôd film starring Sidney Sweeney as the champion boxer, the Leslie Mann and Isla Fisher comedy Spa Weekend, from the Bad Moms filmmaking team, and Leo Woodall and Dustin Hoffman steal the thriller “Tuner,” Gregg Araki’s sultry thriller “I Want Your Sex,” starring Olivia Wilde; and an untitled Jason Statham action thriller.
Cumberbatch is represented by Conway Van Gelder Grant, Utah, Sloan, Over, Weber & Dern, and Narative. Pike is repped by CAA, United Agents, Magnolia Entertainment, and Prosper PR. Hopkins is repped by Independent Talent Group, UTA, and Goodman, Geno, Shenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher. Ritchie is repped by WME and Matthew Saver.
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