According to an exclusive by Deadline, Marvel is in final negotiations with Sherlock star, Benedict Cumberbatch, to play the role of Doctor Strange in the next installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
After a plethora of rumors surrounding who was in the running for the role ranging from Jon Hamm to Keanu Reeves, and even that Joaquin Phoenix was in talks with Marvel Studios, all can finally breathe a sigh of relief as the role will fall into the very capable hands of our favorite dragon-voice actor and super intelligent detective.
The British actor adds this role onto his already full plate – between voice acting for the third Hobbit movie: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014), Magic (2016), and Jungle Book: Origins (2016), as well as movies Black Mass, The Yellow Birds, and Flying Horse all slated for release in 2016. Along with all that, and the highly anticipated fourth installment of the popular BBC mini-series Sherlock, Cumberbatch is set to be even more of a household name than he already is.
The Doctor Strange movie is likely to be the character’s introduction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, surrounding Stephen Strange, a brilliant but egotistical and greedy surgeon. Naturally, he has a terrible accident that damages his hands to the point he cannot continue his career and, having too much pride to stoop to anything else, he vainly tries to find a cure. Unfortunately, Strange can’t seem to catch a break and, after squandering all of his fortune and alienating all of his friends, as a desperate last effort he turns to a mysterious sorcerer named “the Ancient One” to fix his once prized hands. In line with superhero tradition, Strange gets more than what he bargains for when he finds out the sorcerer has only taken him on to become a protege of sorts, to protect the world against evil, despite his original motivations.
Directed by Scott Derrickson, Marvel’s Doctor Strange is scheduled to be released sometime in 2016.
Last Updated on November 28, 2018.
