Is Benedict Cumberbatch the new Leonardo Dicaprio? Seems like an odd fit, but in fact it is Cumberbatch who will be taking over a high profile role that had once been earmarked for the former teen idol turned respected dramatic actor. Deadline reports Cumberbatch is in deep negotiations to play Alan Turing in “Headhunters” helmer Morten Tyldum’s adaptation of “The Turing Game”, a biopic of the tortured WWII genius.

The British mathematician Turing helped the Allies defeat the Germans by cracking the enemy’s “Enigma Code” during WWII, but a decade later was prosecuted by his own government for being a homosexual. Other than take a prison sentence, he chose chemical castration, an act that would lead him into the pits of depression and ultimately suicide. The film is fully financed but has no studio backing just yet, but Deadline speculates it won’t take long before Oscar-hungry executives bite on distribution rights.

Benedict, the acclaimed star of BBC’s “Sherlock”, will have a hell of a year on the big screen in 2013. He recently wrapped up the villain role in JJ Abrams’ sequel “Star Trek Into Darkness” and will play ‘Little’ Charles Aiken opposite Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts in “August: Osage County”, and he also has a role in Steve McQueen’s “Twelve Years a Slave” opposite Michael Fassbender. He’s currently filming Bill Condon’s “The Fifth Estate”, the Wikileaks origin tale in which he portrays founder Julian Assange.