Benedict Cumberbatch to Lead James Gray's LOST CITY OF Z Adaptation

Benedict Cumberbatch will go in search of THE LOST CITY OF Z.

According to Deadline, the in-demand actor has officially signed on to star in James Gray's upcoming film adaptation of David Grann's best-selling novel.

The book is officially described as: "In 1925, the legendary British explorer Percy Fawcett ventured into the Amazon jungle, in search of a fabled civilization. He never returned. Over the years countless perished trying to find Evidence of his party and the place he called "The Lost City of Z." In this masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, journalist David Grann interweaves the spellbinding stories of Fawcett's quest for "Z" and his own journey into the deadly jungle, as he unravels the greatest exploration mystery of the twentieth century."

Brad Pitt's Plan B will executive produce. As the report notes, the studio was been trying to get the project off the ground for years - with Pitt originally attached to star.

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Cumberbatch's upcoming movie projects include The Fifth Estate, 12 Years a Slave, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, Magik, The Imitation Game and Flying Horse. He is well known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in the UK series "Sherlock". Other recent film credits include J.J. Abrams' STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS and the upcoming adaptation of the Tony award-winning play AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, with Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts.

The actor starred in Steven Spielberg's War Horse film adaptation and in 2011 alternated leads in Danny Boyle's production of FRANKENSTEIN. His other theatre credits include 'Hedda Gabler', for which he received an Olivier Award nomination.