Last year, Benedict Cumberbatch founded a production company called SunnyMarch with a few friends. They decided their first project would be a short film for which they used crowdsource funding. The Cumberbitches heard the call of duty and they donated so much money that the production could afford one more day of filming. The short film is called Little Favour, and Benedict stars as an Iraq War veteran who gets pulled into some sort of criminal shenanigans by an American war buddy. Here’s the official description:
“Little Favour follows the story of WALLACE (Cumberbatch) when he is contacted by a former colleague to help him out with a deal gone wrong. It’s been 7 years since he left Her Majesty’s service and 10 years since the American counterpart who became his friend, saved his life on a joint mission in Iraq. He’s migrated his skill set into a lucrative business while managing to keep his secret battle with PTSD under wraps. One day, while finally deciding to try his hand at a functional relationship, his old friend JAMES cashes in his chip and asks a LITTLE FAVOUR. How could he refuse when he owes the man his life?”
So, the teaser for Little Favour came out and my lovely Cumberbatch is all bloody! Someone was beating on his exquisite cheekbones!!! This actually looks decent:
I would watch this if it was full-length and it came out in theaters. I’m assuming that eventually this short film will be released online, probably after making the rounds at some of the short-film festivals. Perhaps.
Here’s the months-old video of Benedict Cumberbatch thanking fans for funding this little project. He doesn’t look good in this video, but the voice p0rn is always excellent.
And Benedict’s co-producers were tweeting some amazing photos from the set too. The photo of Benedict from behind with his arm muscles all ripped? That is really Ben. Seriously.
PS… I keep hearing that Cumby isn’t going to attend tonight’s Emmys. I don’t know if it’s true or not. We’ll see.
Photos courtesy of Twitter.
So, this is a legit project? Not some false, insane endeavour to have naive fangirls fund a trip to England so others can drool over Benedict? LOL
Sounds interesting.
i literally screamed Oh My God! in a crowded mall after seeing that last pic. I should be contained.
ETA: his voice is not featured in the teaser? hey, it’s the guy from Arrow. I love him!
Based on that trailer, I’d actually pass. All the gory short films I’ve seen have been REALLY confrontational and macabre. So if that’s the teaser, I’d expect the flick to be far more gruesome.
On the other hand, I probably have have a warped view of short films because most of the festivals I’ve been to have been non-classified student flicks. I’m scarred for life. I might change my mind if reviews say it isn’t actually torture-pr0n.
I agree with @Lucrezia. I’ve noticed that short films are often either highly violent or highly sexualized, or both. But I will see Little Favor because Benedict is an amazing actor.
For a non-violent short film starring Benedict check out “Inseparable”. It’s about 15 minutes long and for purchase really cheap on iTunes.
Also on youtube. But be prepared to cry all the way through.
Everyone: Please do the right thing and PAY FOR IT via iTunes.
I know I’m making some assumptions and stereotyping here, forgive me, but the film was funded by crowdsourcing and Cumby has a lot of female fans – I would be quite surprised if this turned out to be an overly violent film. I’m not saying that women never like very violent films, but I believe that on average women more often feel bad about them (or at least they can confess it more openly).
If I hear that this film has some cruel images I won’t be seeing it either. I cannot watch much of that sort. Even something quite mainstream like Tarantino makes me shake with horror.
It could be as simply as the women saw Cumberbatch’s name and decided to donate money without knowing the details of the short film. Or they did know and just didn’t care.
@M.A.F – I just meant it wouldn’t be very thoughtful of him to be in a project like “Let’s make a super violent torture flick and let’s make Benedict’s fan girls fund it and be part of it”. I would be disappointed.
First: I love how Celebitchy continues to drive the haters up a wall with yet another day of another BC post. Love it, don’t stop!
Two: The short film sounds interesting and BC looks amazing, both physically and acting-wise.
Three: I didn’t know about this funding when it was happening! I totally would have donated. I donate to lots of online projects and small ventures and short films and bloggers. I think he looks good in that thank you video because he looks totally natural. No makeup, no excessive hair product. Just normal. Nice. The only thing that turns me off is when he greets his fans as “guys”. OMG, this is a major peeve of mine!! I don’t know what it is — I recognize I’m a bit irrational with this — but I cannot-f*cking-stand when people are referred to as “guys” unless the people being referred to are all — literally — guys.
Might be a Brit thing – I use “guys” as a totally gender neutral word.
no it’s not a brit thing. everyone in the english-speaking world uses ‘guys’ as gender neutral. some people like to complain for the sake of it.
Fair enough – I’m just used to trying to explain mis-translations 🙂
The word is masculine. It was ALWAYS masculine, and only became acceptable as “gender-neutral” when it was used to refer to women who were “one of the guys”. But it IS masculine and is no more gender-neutral than “chicks”. But let’s try that, shall we? Let’s try referring to men and women collectively as “chicks” and see how men like it. I’m sure that if we try we can get “chicks” to be absorbed into modern casual speech as gender-neutral, right?
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/guy
@maureen, all language changes and evolves. ‘guys’ is no longer exclusively masculine. but go ahead and have a hissy fit over the most innocuous things (it seems to be your thing). i have better things to do.
I just enjoy looking at him..
I got all tingly in my naughty places from that last pic!!
My last comment disappeared??I am not sure why someone raised an controversial issue that happened within the Tom Hiddleston fandom on a Benedict Cumberbatch thread?? Tom actually had no input into the project apart form a one minute interview along side someone else so hardly a project he was involved in.
But since his name was mentioned he has been in a witty short called Friends Pending which came about through a link with a member of the Cranford Production team who was trying his hand at writing/directing. More recently he is appearing in Out of Darkness which is a short at the London Film Festiva.I think it is great that he supports small projects.
Good on Benny for diversifying and it gives him a chance to act in roles he might not be considered for. Maybe as he and Tom are good friends Tom will support him by appearing in one of his production. I would love to see them in another production together. Their intelligence shines brighter when they are interviewed together.
No one has mentioned TH in this thread except you.
And god, I hate when people refer to BC as “Benny”. I see this all over Tumblr. He does not refer to himself as such nor do his friends. I believe he is called “Ben” or Benedict.
You hate everything.
I didn’t realize we were only allowed to call actors by the names they had approved of. *eyeroll
The fans are certainly free to refer to a 37 year old man like he’s a 5 year old if they wish, yes.
@ TommyAnnE, I wasn’t aware you’ve been following every single comment I’ve ever posted. WOW.
I believe Linda was sideswiping the doc/mock/fake/fan-umentary Reel Britain crowdsourced by TommyAnne fans in comment #1.
Which I think is what icerose is talking about.
Reel Britain seems like a pretty snarkable thing to my mind – and since this post involves crowdsourcing, a mocking joke or two isn’t entirely OT.
I’m quietly living for your bitchiness right now, Maureen.
Maureen it was pretty obvious to anyone involved in Tom’s fandom who the comment about projects and fan girls was referring to but maybe I am wrong and Benny has inadvertent been involved in a project with some fans that I have not heard about.
I like calling him Benny and have done for ages although sometimes I use BC. It is not meant as an insult like some of the names that actors are called.
I have noticed that on just about every Benny post that comes up someone starts to bring up Tom in comparison and usually in a negative way. It just feels quite sad that a few people spoil Benny’s thread with unnecessary negativity. They are both good actors and good friends, and neither are perfect.
@ icerose
I don’t follow TH’s career/life. I’m sure there are other BC fans here or just fans of movies/celebs/pop culture who also don’t follow TH’s life/career. Therefore, there are likely a lot of readers of this blog who wouldn’t pick up on under-handed references to TH and his life/career. Like I said before, you were the only one here who typed the name Tom Hiddleston in a Benedict Cumberbatch thread. 🙂
It is implied in the first post if you read between the lines.
As for Friends Pending, I didn’t know about the Cranford connection. Interesting.
icerose, sis, literally what/what people are you talking about being involved, no one was talking about the thirst bucket IN THIS THREAD until you brought him up, and if you didn’t want him to be, why would you mention his name when nobody else on here did? Why not just do it somewhere when it was actually an issue instead of this self-perpetuating stuff? Comparisons are something that happens, and if some people don’t meet your criteria of fandom that’s just too bad.
There were so many complaints about how this was funded. Some thought since Cumberbatch was a successful actor he should have funded the short or asked his “Hollywood” producer friends to fund it instead of using crowdsource funding. It was thought that Benedict was using his fame and popularity to take advantage of his fans.
My take is if people want to throw money into the bloody streets that is their prerogative because it is their money. If they want fund a SunnyMarch production because they happen to like, love or simply admire an actor that’s their prerogative too. Telling those that donated they were foolish, naive or downright stupid for doing so, smacks of paternalism or patriarchy, even if it is coming from a female.
Some were acting like SunnyMarch was taking food out of the mouths of babes or killing the dreams of lesser known or unknown filmmakers. SHEESH! People need to get some perspective.
*RANT OFF*
And no I didn’t donate.
Moving along, the short does look interesting; too bad it is not a full-length feature. It would be a departure for Cumberbatch. I’d like to see him as a full-on badass.
Nothing wrong with what he did but it is more usual for people starting out in the business to use crowd funding. I have mixed feelings re someone as famous and wealthy as him doing it via fans because you would assume he has access to the people in the business who might contribute.
There are a lot of films that might not have got made if directors/actors had not put there money into something they felt passionate about. I respect them for them than I do for stars who crowd fund but that’s just how I think.
A personal trainer turned director interesting. Great to have friends in high places
I made the mistake of googling this guy “P-Nut”!! Wow, Tom Hardy has (had?) it bad for this guy. “He’s all I’ve ever wanted to be” and so much more. P-Nut comes across as quite the guru/cult leader.
Cumby needs to save his money. 17 identical designer chambray shirts don’t buy themselves you know.
Now really, Fanty, it is ONE chambray shirt (regularly hand-washed) and SEVEN cashmere cardigans (which he probably got for free. The same goes for the Jag, I suppose).
Then he needs his money for laundry detergent and a scrubbing board. My argument stands.
God I hope he doesn’t actually pay for the hats either.
I don’t see the problem with how this was funded. He and a friend started a production company, or are part of one, it’s not a big name, they made a small film. If BC’d funded it entirely, people would kvetch that it’s a pure vanity project. They do a crowdfunding thing it’s selfish and greedy. Meh. The film looks violent (that might just be the trailer cut) and kind of depressing, tbh, but it is a step out of BC’s usual boxes so maybe it’s a good thing for him and for the production company.
I agree. And it’s a small film from an independent company. That means they’re working outside the system and I would support that. Being able to say you helped fund a movie is a great thing. I just don’t want to hear him call me “guys”. 🙂
I don’t get the complaints either. People don’t pay to go see short films, and the money has to come from somewhere.
IMO, crowd-funding is a good addition to the existing grant-funding mechanism. I’d also like to see more ways to easily donate after watching (like freeware software, where if you really like it you’re expected to make a token donation).
Having shorts available/advertised on iTunes is another method, though to be honest, I watched Inseparable on youtube … I didn’t realise a way to pay for it even existed until Maureen mentioned it was on iTunes! Now that I know, I’ll go buy a copy because I liked it and can afford to support it. But let’s be realistic: most people won’t.
@ Lucrezia
That’s awesome that you see the value in paying for the things you watch. I always pay if I can find a source that sells it legitimately. Watching something “for free” is a last resort when I can’t find it anywhere else.
iTunes is selling ‘Inseparable’ for less than $2. Anyone who can afford to own a computer and pay for their internet service can also pay $2 for a little movie.
No problem in my mind either. I like shorts. And it’s clearly a genuine project. I like crowdsourcing. It might see more niche work (and, hopefully, more in the niches I personally enjoy).
And, further to what Lucrezia said, if the only funding is grant funding, it skews what ends up being made.
I don’t get the complaints. I think anything that gets artists out of the system is a good thing, and I look forward to seeing this. I
Like shorts. Even short shorts. Or even short short shorts. I would love to do a video close up of Cumby saying “Apricot,” and then fading to black.
The Reel Britain project is another thing altogether-/ I think people are correct to call that a fake documentary. It’s very clearly about fans who want an excuse to meet their Yoda.
Exactly. Crowdsourcing gets studio-shaping out of the picture and an amount of that is a good thing.
As to Reel Britain: yes, an entirely different animal. Foolish of TommyAnne and that creepy publicist of his to go anywhere near it. Since they have, though, they are fair game for snark over it, I feel.
@Sixer, what’s been said about Reel Britain? This is the first I’ve heard it mentioned?
I was wary of the crowdsourcing of this when it was first announced. Mostly because it seemed like the people involved would have access to other traditional forms of funding, and it might take away from projects that didn’t have that kind of access. (a variation of the “Why is Zach Braff on Kickstarter again?” argument.
But the way they went about it, and some of the followup communication has eased my concern. They’ve provided incentives for people at various contribution levels, been clear about what’s been involved, and more recently said that they intend to actually repay the contributions as they can. So contributors get to see their project get off the ground, get their perks and get their money back (maybe) so they can fund something else. Win-Win.
I love that smiling picture of him holding the baby. I completely melt whenever I see any guy holding a baby for some reason. LOL
Yes!! I love men with babies.
I have seen this picture of him holding the baby quite a few times, and every time I swear it’s Colin Firth! I love the pic, and he should hold babies more often.
He holds, kisses, snuggles, and cuddles a baby in Wreckers. 🙂
*swoons*
I will have to check that out!
I strongly encourage buying or renting the movie on Amazon or some other seller. In the meantime, here’s Benedict with baby. It’s the opening scene of the movie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnNImvLM33A
EDIT: Ooops, my bad. This is the mother with the baby. I think Benedict is at the end with the baby.
A little note/gossip: the director is Patrick Monroe, P-nut. The ex best friend of Tom Hardy.
Ex? Didn’t he train both BC and Tom and now he’s a director?
That’s the gossip part,my dear Ag: they aren’t friends anymore. It was a big drama with Tom’s more passionate fans because they were inseparable.
yes he used Tom’s trainer for Star Trek
Oh! Colin Legs Salmon. I LOVE him.
The baby’s side eye in that first photo is epic lol
*cackling* Yes!
This has nothing to do with this story — And I don’t really know anything about Benedict, I only know about him through celebitchy… Last night I had a dream about him: We were both sitting on a couch and he asked to borrow my laptop. After he used it I told him I had to show him celebitchy so he could see how much Kaiser loves him and he was reading through the posts and then he was Googling ‘Kaiser’ to try to find her so he could call her. But then Lindsay Lohan showed up and dragged Benedict away — Sorry Kaiser! I tried!!
Lol! What a funny and interesting dream . Funny also how he has shown up in your dreams without you really knowing much about him. I usually hear about the showing up in dreams from the fans/ hardcore fangirls.
This looks interesting. I usually stay away from short films but because it has Benedict in it I will check it out.
Meanwhile on twitter & tumblr people went nuts because he was all covered in blood and in action. Lol
oh my. yum.
It does seem to me that by making this he is trying to break out of his posh gentleman roles into more rugged roles. James McAvoy did it to his advantage and his Hollywood career soared. It will be interesting to see if Benny can do the same. He might have to do something about his speech patterns as well because as much as I love his voice its always feel say to sonorous and precise for anything bordering on lived in/tough.
BC needs to change up his accents. That’s the key to getting him off this posh/proper-sounding train he’s on. And I don’t even mean a foreign accent. He should do a different UK accent, something more down-to-earth and blue-collar.
Have you seen Wreckers? He doesn’t sounds posh to me but I’m not a native speaker so…
Here is a short clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4Piilrc3jE
@Maureen
I agree. I know the accent doesn’t have to be foreign but I would love it if he could do a film where he is the lead in Hollywood with a normal American accent. Like others I got a little peak of it in a film called whistle blower. Im interested to see how his aussie accent is throughout the 5th estate. So far the films coming up like 12 years and AOC he is sporting different types of American accents.(southern and okie).
Yes, I’ve seen Wreckers. You’re right; he’s a little different-sounding in that! BTW, it’s a great movie. I loved it. Bought it on Amazon. Very creepy, although nothing creepy actually happens. The movie is thick with a chilly, dark atmosphere and foreboding, all thanks to Benedict’s performance.
The southern accent of slavery days was actually quite mid-atlantic. There was not yet a heavily-drawn accent that we now know of as “southern”. The country still had a lot of British influence in those days and accents would have retained some of the British cadence and inflections. So if the accents in 12 Years are too “country” then it’s not authentic.
That arm. Good GRIEF that arm. This must have been around the STID time?
I’m just gonna… yeah. Wow. Go Cumby, you stud!
Doesn’t he look great? Actually, he’s always had a terrific body even without the STID training.
Yes, thank you for bringing this up, Leah. NOW we are talking the real issues here 🙂
I’m guessing it isn’t from the STID time. Wasn’t they filming STID in the spring 2012 and this arm is summer-ish 2013? Someone correct me if I’m wrong. But I do hope I am right, cause it means that arm is a steady equipment. Mmmmmmmmm…..ME LIKES.
He filmed the short a few months ago so he’s still ripped.
Benedict wasnt initially a producer on this project. I remember one of the 2 friends tweeting to say they had made Benedict a producer but it didnt start that way. At the beginning Benedict was just acting on the project to help Pnut and his two friends.
@Maureen
Yes… yes the arm is great and he looks great! We should see more of the arm! 😉
@ Vesta
Yes. Yes, the arm. These are important topics to be discussed, and now I’m all aflutter that, apparently, the arm is a standard feature on the fully equipped Cumberbatch, hurrah! He’s pretty slender, but must stay toned. I have no idea how this guy has the energy to maintain any kind of exercise regimen!
I appreciate it, though. I appreciate if very much- we should start a movement to get Cumberbatch in white tanks more often! Maybe some water… Can’t Cumby trudge through the jungle- sweaty, with his curls all tousled, the rain falling around him, the green of the jungle accentuating the green/blue of his eyes… white tank top, ripped arms… smouldering at the camera. It DOES THINGS to me.
@Leah
Lost City of Z. Did they have wife-beaters in the 1920’s? One can hope!
The Lost City of Z indeed gives us hope. I think I’ve seen in old photos some sort of white tanks, so it should be an option. It was said here that he’s friend with that trainer/director Patrick Monroe, so he sure has some advice on how to stay in shape. Leah, now I’m happy to go to bed, since it is very possible that your dishy visual of Cumby in jungle comes into my dreams…
Looks interesting… it seems like he’s trying to break out of doing all of those “posh” roles and try something new.
I’m liking the rugged look he’s got going on in this little movie.
Not to mention… doesn’t the pic of him with that guy that he’s fighting with make it seem like they are about to embrace and have sex? Ha ha ha.
No, it doesn’t. It looks like two men bloodied and fighting.
Sheesh.
That was meant as “humour.” Note this part of the comment: “Hahaha.”
Sheesh.
@ EsCon:
Oh, boy…here we go again, right? Jesus.
@Eve,
Hi Eve! Sorry I just saw this. I hope you’ll still see it.
Yes, it seems we are on another trip on the Magical Hissy Tour.
Sorry to butt in, Eve and EsCon, but I believe the lyrics to a certain Fountain of Wayne song might amuse you. Google is your friend. Try a certain name.
@Sixer,
Hahahaha! Fabulous! Thank you! You’re not butting in at all, my dear.
I didn’t know this song & I love it! “The least that you can do for us is keep it to yourself.”
Hope Eve sees it too. :-}
🙂
@ EsCon:
Phew! For a moment I thought YOU GUYS had forgotten about me.
Seriously, I’m *thisclose* to losing it. I’m telling you, it won’t pretty when it happens.
@ Sixer:
Thank you!
@Eve,
Forget about you? That’s not gonna happen! We miss you when you’re not here. I’ve even typed *POOF!* trying to conjure you. 🙂
I think I’ve snapped too. As for losing it, we guys are counting on it!
I hope you’ve got those shanks at the ready…..
The writer/director is Tom Hardy’s EX personal trailer and mentor PNut. Hardy and Pnut fell out for some reason. I wonder if it was because Hardy wouldnt get behind this short. Benedict and Pnut seem very close now.
He looks SO much like my ex BF, who had all the same features but with blonde hair that was always spiked up a bit with putty. His ancestry was from Kazakhstan.
That pic with him and the tiny baby is adorable – look at his smile – and the way the little munchkin is looking at him! LOL! *sigh*
Very interesting man. Love his air of formality. I’ll leave it at that.
1) Little Favour looks like it will be exciting and action-filled, and I will definitely see it.
2) I like the way Benedict dresses in everyday life. It can be eclectic and kind of funky. Whatever his style is, he seems to enjoy it, so… AND, whenever it is necessary, he cleans up VERY nicely, so more power to him. : )
It looks like the russian girlfriend has been changing her tune on the relationship in recent interviews. I;d be interested in Celebitchy’s take on all that.
Yes, please!!!! The girl half terrifies and half amuses me.
“I love Benedict Cumberbatch’s talent”
“He has at least good manners”
‘It was a wedding, you know, everyone was jolly and happy and, you know, things happen…’
#%@?¤&! I admit I still would like to hear HIS collected explanations on KE-gate…..
I want to block her out of my consciousness, and at the same time I can’t resist not to go and cringe on her ridiculous comments.
She’s not and never was a girlfriend. She’s been entirely predictable and done exactly what I expected. Used his name to promote herself.
I like whatever he tells me I remember by heart!!! I love his talent too I just hope he has the good sense to stay away. Model?? I am sorry where/when who?? Enough…