What better person to star in a movie titled ‘How to Catch a Monster’ than a monster fighter himself, Matt Smith, better known as the Doctor in BBC’s hit series ‘Doctor Who.’ The British actor will be making his US feature film debut in this project written and directed by Ryan Gosling (‘Gangster Squad,’ ‘Drive’).

‘How to Catch a Monster’ is being described as “a modern day fairy tale combining elements of fantasy and suspense.” It’s set against a surreal dreamscape of a vanishing city and centers on Billy, a single mother of two, who is swept into a macabre and dark fantasy underworld while her teenage son discovers a secret road leading to an underwater town.  Billy must dive deep into this mystery if her family is to survive.

Playing the role of Billy will be Christina Hendricks (‘Drive,’ ‘Mad Men’) who has stated that her role has her “working in this very surreal” club that sets the plot going. Also signed on is Eva Mendes (‘Ghost Rider,’ ‘Once Upon a Time in Mexico’) who plays Cat. Not much is known about her character except that she plays a “prominent figure” in the film. Interesting to note is that the club that the woman work at happens to be an underground fetish club called … and this is an interesting tidbit for the Whovians… the Big Bad Wolf Club. (Yes, I caught the irony too!)

As for the Doctor’s Matt Smith’s role in the film, not much has been released beyond the fact that it is a lead role. Smith has just completed filming Season 7 of ‘Doctor Who’ which is a good thing as filming for ‘How to Catch a Monster’ is set to begin this spring with a projected 2014 release date.

The announcement of Smith’s casting has begun to spark rumors of the actor leaving the ‘Doctor Who’ series, but the BBC insists that he is still committed to the role. A spokesperson for the show stated, “’As in previous years, Matt is taking advantage of a gap in the ‘Doctor Who’ production schedule to take on another project. It’s the 50th year of ‘Doctor Who’ and Matt is committed to the show. He will be around for a while yet.”

Smith joins fellow British actors Benedict Cumberbatch (‘Star Trek Into Darkness’) and Andrew Garfield (‘Amazing Spider-Man’) who are making the jump into leading man roles in US based films.

This is a great first film for Smith and one that sounds like an exciting project to be a part of!

What do you think? Does Smith have what it takes to make it big in Hollywood? And if he does, are you ready to let him go as the Doctor?

 

Source: Variety