Benedict Cumberbatch Signs On to Lead High-Stakes Escape Thriller From BAFTA-Winning Director
Benedict Cumberbatch is boarding Last Flight, a high-stakes escape thriller from BAFTA-winning filmmaker Babak Anvari, set to shoot across multiple countries later this year, following a perilous mission to break free against impossible odds.
Here we go: Benedict Cumberbatch is jumping into a new thriller, and the premise sounds both nerve-jangling and uncomfortably real. It is called 'Last Flight', and the people making it have receipts.
What 'Last Flight' is about
The film is set in the final stretch of the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The story centers on Ali, a young Afghan man scrambling to get his family out before the door slams shut. His lifeline is an American he has never met: Kirk Johnson, thousands of miles away, trying to put the war behind him and not doing a great job of it. Cumberbatch is headlining the project, though the role he is playing has not been revealed yet.
Who is making it
BAFTA winner Babak Anvari is directing. The screenplay comes from Kirk Wallace Johnson, whose actual, real-world work is the backbone of the story. After serving as a USAID coordinator during reconstruction in Fallujah, Johnson founded the List Project to relocate Iraqis who had assisted allied forces. He also worked with Senator Ted Kennedy to help shape the Special Immigrant Visa program for Iraqi and Afghan nationals who supported the U.S. during the conflicts. That is not just inspiration; it is basically his life on screen.
- Director: Babak Anvari
- Writer: Kirk Wallace Johnson
- Star: Benedict Cumberbatch (also executive producing)
- Producers: Lucan Toh and Babak Anvari for Two & Two; Leah Clarke and Adam Ackland for Cumberbatch's SunnyMarch
- Executive producers: Benedict Cumberbatch; Dave Bishop, George Hamilton, and James Pugh for Protagonist Pictures
- Companies: Two & Two and SunnyMarch
When and where they are shooting
Filming is slated to begin in May 2026, with shoots planned in the United Kingdom, Morocco, and Jordan. It is a multi-country production, which fits the scope. If that timeline shifts, it would not be the first production to do so, but for now that is the plan reported by Deadline.
Why this one stands out
Plenty of thrillers chase an escape clock. Fewer are written by someone who actually built the lifelines the characters need. Johnson is not just adapting some distant article; he helped start the programs people like Ali rely on. That gives the movie a very particular edge.
"Last Flight is a moving, wild ride that is also a galvanising call to action: it reminds us that, even if you're on the other side of the world and all you have is a phone, an internet connection, and a desire to help, you can make a difference."
That is the pitch straight from Two & Two and SunnyMarch. It is a bold promise. With Anvari behind the camera and Cumberbatch out front, the pieces are there to back it up.