Benedict Cumberbatch Photo: IC

The British actor, known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes on the BBC series, is set to play the Mary Shelley classic in a remake Mexican director Guillermo del Toro has been developing for years.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Guillermo del Toro has not given up on his idea of adapting the gothic novel for the silver screen. First broached in 2009, the project was initially supposed to star his longtime collaborator Doug Jones (Hellboy), but apparently the director has finally opted for Benedict Cumberbatch instead.

The English actor, who'll also be starring in del Toro's gothic haunted house flick Crimson Peak, has the advantage of already having played Frankenstein on stage. In 2011 director Danny Boyle had Cumberbatch and co-star Jonny Lee Miller take turns playing Dr Frankenstein and his creature at the Royal National Theatre in London.

But before this Universal project gets under way, 20th Century Fox is already planning to remake the Mary Shelly classic by 2014, featuring Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) as Dr Frankenstein's assistant, Igor.

Del Toro will be presenting his latest brainchild, Pacific Rim, on Wednesday. Then he'll be back behind the camera for Crimson Peak, scheduled for release in 2015.

Meanwhile, the prolific del Toro is working in parallel on a TV adaptation of his own novel, The Strain, for Channel FX.