Report: Benedict Cumberbatch Suiting Up as Dr. Strange
Benedict Cumberbatch at the premiere of ‘The Imitation Game’
Benedict Cumberbatch is evidently not content with his already enormous Comic-Con celebrity. Deadline is reporting that the Emmy-winning Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch is in final negotiations to join the Marvel Universe as the cosmic sorcerer Dr. Strange.
The actor, who could be an Oscar contender this year for his turn as genius mathematician Alan Turing in the fall biopic The Imitation Game, would be the latest big star to join the ever-expanding film multiverse. He’d play Stephen Vincent Strange, a neurosurgeon-turned-Sorcerer Supreme who teams up with heroes from the Avengers to help defend Earth from cosmic and magical threats.
Marvel’s Dr. Strange
Casting for the character, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in 1963, has been a very public process, with a multitude of big names rumored to be up for the part. Joaquin Phoenix was one of the biggest names attached at one point, while Colin Farrell (who’s going to be on season 2 of True Detective) was also recently rumored to be in the mix. Deadline also reported that Jared Leto and Tom Hardy were in contention.
Keanu Reeves was asked about his interest in the film by fans, but never seemed a serious candidate.
The Dr. Strange film is scheduled for 2016.
This post has been updated.
Photo credit: ©Marvel
