Benedict Cumberbatch to Headline Last Flight, Thriller Set During Final Days of Afghanistan War

Benedict Cumberbatch has signed on to headline Last Flight, a high-stakes thriller that will center on an American civilian drawn into a desperate, long-distance effort to help endangered individuals escape Iraq and Afghanistan.

The feature will be directed by BAFTA-winning filmmaker Babak Anvari (Under the Shadow), working from a screenplay by Kirk Wallace Johnson, whose own experiences form the backbone of the story. Johnson, an author and former USAID coordinator, worked in post-war Iraq on the reconstruction of Fallujah and later founded the List Project, a nonprofit organization that assists Iraqis who supported U.S. forces in resettling abroad.

Following his return from Iraq while dealing with PTSD, Johnson collaborated with the late Senator Ted Kennedy to help establish the Special Immigrant Visa program, which provides a pathway to safety for Iraqis and Afghans who worked alongside the U.S. during the conflicts.

Set during the final days of America’s 20-year war in Afghanistan, Last Flight follows Ali, a young Afghan man racing against time to secure an escape route for his family before he is captured and killed. With few options left, Ali places his faith in Kirk Johnson, an American thousands of miles away who is attempting to leave his wartime past behind but becomes deeply entangled in Ali’s fight for survival.

Production is targeting a May 2026 start, with filming planned across the U.K., Morocco and Jordan.

The film is being produced by Two & Two (I Came By) in partnership with Cumberbatch’s SunnyMarch (We Live in Time). Producers include Lucan Toh and Anvari for Two & Two, and Leah Clarke and Adam Ackland for SunnyMarch. Cumberbatch will also executive produce alongside Protagonist Pictures executives Dave Bishop, George Hamilton and James Pugh. WME Independent is representing domestic distribution rights.

Protagonist Pictures CEO Dave Bishop said the project blends propulsive tension with emotional depth, praising Anvari’s approach to grounding the thriller in human consequence. He added that Cumberbatch brings the intelligence and moral complexity required for a story that examines responsibility, trust and the personal cost of war.