The Black List script The Imitation Game has had a rather dynamic development thus far, but it looks as though the film is now finally close to coming to fruition.  Warner Bros. initially bought Graham Moore’s screenplay for a hefty sum with Leonardo DiCaprio eyeing the lead role of Alan Turing, a brilliant cryptanalyst whose expertise cracked Germany’s “Enigma code” and helped turn the tide of World War II for the Allies and whose homosexuality made him a target of prosecution (yes, he was taken to court for being gay).  DiCaprio eventually left the project and Warner Bros. followed suit, and recently Morten Tyldum (Headhunters) came onboard to direct.  Now a new lead has been found in the unendingly popular Benedict Cumberbatch.  Hit the jump for more.

Scandinavian director Morten Tyldum (Headhunters) is set to helm The Imitation Game, the 2011 Black List topper that is based on the life of British mathematician Alan Turing. Graham Moore’s script centers on Turing, a brilliant cryptanalyst whose expertise cracked Germany’s “Enigma code” and helped turn the tide of World War II for the Allies. Leonardo DiCaprio was previously attached to star in the picture with J Blakeson to direct, but neither party is still involved. Hit the jump for more on The Imitation Game.

Norwegian director Morten Tyldum made an impression on the festival circuit this year with his twisty adaptation of Headhunters, after it broke box office records back home in Norway.  The film attracted attention from Hollywood, first manifested in the English-language adaptation of Headhunters set up at Summit.  Today it was announced that Tyldum has signed a deal with Vendome Pictures to make his first American feature, What Happened to Monday?.  The script by Max Botkin centers on “identical septuplet brothers who struggle to stay hidden in an overpopulated world where a ‘one child’ policy dictates that siblings are against the law.”  Cool idea.  I presume they’ll cast one actor as the septuplets, which should allow Tyldum to creative with filmmaking sleight of hand.

Raffaella De Laurentiis (The Forbidden Kingdom) developed the project through his Raffaella Productions, and will produce alongside Vendrome CEO Philippe Rousselet (Source Code).  Magnolia will release Tyldum’s Headhunters in the U.S. sometime in Spring 2012.