Benedict Cumberbatch to play ‘Hamlet’ in London in 2015

Benedict Cumberbatch will return to the London stage next year to play the mopey prince of Denmark in a new production of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” which will run at the Barbican theater. The casting was confirmed Wednesday and will be the “Sherlock” actor’s first big stage role since he appeared in the National Theatre’s production of “Frankenstein” in 2011. Cumberbatch has acted extensively in British theater, including a 2005 production of “Hedda Gabler” at the Almeida Theatre and a 2010 production of Terence Rattigan’s “After the Dance” at the National. ALSO: ‘Harry Potter’ stage production in the works in London ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog’ coming to Broadway in fall Collapse at London’s Apollo Theatre blamed on old ceiling material