Benedict Cumberbatch gets his Shakespeare on

Benedict Cumberbatch as Richard III - first look

BBC Two have released the first picture of Cumberbatch as Richard III for upcoming drama The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses. 

Whoa....   Looking quite dashing atop a black horse, the 38-year-old Sherlock actor will star as the English king in BBC's The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses, an adaptation of four of Shakespeare's historical plays. The series will comprise Henry VI Parts I, II and III, and conclude with Richard III.  All four films of The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses will be directed by Dominic Cooke (former artistic director of the Royal Court) and features a range of big-name British talent including Hugh Bonneville, Judi Dench and Keeley Hawes. Sadly Cumberbatch fans will have a bit of a wait as the series is scheduled to air sometime in 2016.