Eric on Netflix - All you need to know about Benedict Cumberbatch's limited series
Netflix's Eric is a six-episode thriller featuring Benedict Cumberbatch as a troubled puppeteer.
May 26, 2024
Benedict Cumberbatch in Eric
Benedict Cumberbatch must now unravel an additional enigma. On May 30, the Oscar nominee will star in a six-part Netflix limited series called Eric. Abi Morgan, an Emmy and BAFTA winner for writing and directing the suspenseful thriller, follows a distraught father as he battles his inner demons on the exciting, seedy, and pulsating streets of 1980s New York City in an effort to find his kid who has gone missing.
Cumberbatch mentioned that the story is about individuals discovering their place of residence. Finding a place is the most important thing, whether you're talking about a youngster, a homeless person, a gay Black police officer, a wife in a miserable marriage, or even Eric from the show.
Eric: Overview and plot
One of the top puppeteers in New York, Vincent (Cumberbatch), also created the wildly successful children's TV show Good Day Sunshine. However, everything unravels when his nine-year-old son disappears while walking to school. Morgan told Netflix that Eric is a dark and crazy journey into the heart of '80s New York—and the good, bad, and ugly world of Vincent.
As he tries to come to terms with Edgar's death, Vincent's emotional instability and irritability grow. He is so down on himself and guilty about Edgar not being home that he holds on to his kid Eric's puppet drawings of a blue monster in the hope that Edgar will return if he can just get Eric on television. Eric, a victim of necessity, becomes Vincent's sole friend in his quest to reunite with his son, as his increasingly destructive behaviour drives a wedge between his loved ones, coworkers, and the investigators who are attempting to assist him.
When Morgan suggested to Tudum the idea of a New York puppeteer searching for his missing son with a seven-foot-tall blue monster, Netflix reportedly jumped on board, which is to their eternal credit. Immerse yourself in the '80s Big Apple with Eric, as the city faces escalating crime rates, systemic racism, endemic corruption, a forgotten underclass, and the AIDS epidemic. See the schisms between parents looking for their child, a detective fighting a broken system, and a lost boy who might never return home as you wonder who the true monsters are.
Vincent's role and struggles
Benedict Cumberbatch portrays Vincent, a prominent puppeteer and manufacturer in New York. He created Good Day Sunshine a highly successful children's television show. Vincent is a narcissist who is brilliant, charming, and erratic at work while privately ignoring his family—wife Cassie and little son Edgar. In the pilot, Cumberbatch introduces Vincent at a critical juncture, characterising his journey as a vast odyssey spanning six episodes.
Vincent found redemption in his role as host of Good Day Sunshine after escaping a pretty loveless and unpleasant childhood, according to the actor's view. Cumberbatch also served as the project's executive producer. According to him, the character begins to reveal his vanity, idiosyncrasies, ego, and various toxic behaviours. These behaviours have a significant impact on his attitude towards his child and the marital relationship, which has already faced numerous challenges over the past decade, such as adultery, arguments, and separation.
This split between reality and Vincent's reality arises when Vincent's child disappears, he explained. In his struggle to find his way back to his son, he clings to both of them. Vincent's mental health worsens as he brings Edgar's sketches of Eric to life in an effort to locate his son.
Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal and preparation
The character is aggressive, according to Morgan. Cumberbatch's act conveys his irreverence and humour. Before they even met, the actor gave the filmmaker the impression that she knew him from his roles as Sherlock Holmes and Patrick Melrose. She remarked that he has an extraordinary aptitude for material things.
However, filmmaker Lucy Forbes insisted that Cumberbatch not appear or act like himself in any way. She explained that his longer hair, beard, and spectacles were the result. He not only embraces the era but also strives to fully immerse himself in Vincent's world.
Production and executive team
Cast members include Cumberbatch, Ivan Howe, Cassie (Gabby Hoffmann), and chief detective Ledroit (McKinley Belcher III).
Lucy Forbes directs the series. Holly Pullinger produces the show, with Cumberbatch, Morgan, Forbes, Jane Featherstone, and Lucy Dyke serving as executive producers.
According to Featherstone and Dyke, the filmmaker initially presented Eric to them, which gave them goosebumps. It is a remarkable piece of literature that draws inspiration from Morgan's encounters with New York in the middle of the 1980s, a deeply corrupted but transformable city.
May 30 is the exclusive launch date for Eric on Netflix.
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