Benedict Cumberbatch has been confirmed to play Hamlet on stage next year.

The Sherlock star will appear in a new production of William Shakespeare's play at London's Barbican Theatre from August to October 2015.



It was previously reported that the play had been delayed from this year to 2015 due to Cumberbatch's schedule, but it had not been officially announced until now.

Lyndsey Turner has also been confirmed as directing the play for Sonia Friedman Productions.

Friedman said that she is "thrilled" to be producing the play, adding that Cumberbatch is "one of the most gifted and exciting actors of his generation".

Turner previously directed Lucy Kirkwood's celebrated play Chimerica, and her revival of Sophie Treadwell's Machinal recently wrapped on Broadway.

Ticket details will be announced in May.

Donald Cooper



Cumberbatch last appeared on stage in Danny Boyle's production of Frankenstein at the National Theatre.

"It's a role I've been interested in for a long time," he told the Daily Telegraph in 2012.

"I don't know if there is such a thing as a right age to play the part, but 36 or 37 seems appropriate to me."

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io