Benedict Cumberbatch, the actor so masterfully playing the title role in BBC’s latest take on the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and the role of Khan in the last Star Trek movie, has been tipped as the title character in Disney’s upcoming live action version of another Marvel character, the master sorcerer Doctor Strange. The English actor has been tipped by most US trades to be the choice to play Stephen Strange, a neurosurgeon that turns into a magician, protecting Earth against a more mystical set of threats. The movie is set to be released in 2016.
Benedict Cumberbatch has proven his worth in a series of productions, mostly in England. Descendant of actors – both his father and his mother were involved in a great variety of movies, TV series and stage plays – his choice for his career was obvious, but not before taking a year off to teach English in a Tibetan monastery. He was involved with stage plays, television productions and feature films, and with great success. His breakthrough role as Stephen Hawking in the 2004 drama Hawking has landed him his first BAFTA nomination, followed by two more. He played in two Oscar-nominated movies: War Horse and Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy in 2011. His latest movie – the one of Alan Turing in the biographic The Imitation Game – will hit theaters on the 21st of November.
The English actor is considered by some a choice too safe compared to what’s still on the table. There were other actors said to be the chosen one for the role of Doctor Strange – like Joaquin Phoenix or Johnny Depp. Both would be great for the role, of course, but both of them are involved in other projects, making it impossible for them to be in the latest Marvel movie.
Doctor Strange, the mystical sorcerer superhero, has first appeared in the Marvel universe in 1963. He was the creation of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. The Doctor Strange comic books were a great success in the 1960s, due mostly to their surreal artwork and their bizarre and alternative worlds. The character has been described as “the mightiest magician in the cosmos”, besides being a neurosurgeon and a trained practitioner of various martial arts. After his roles in Sherlock, Star Trek: Into Darkness and the Hobbit movies (although with his voice only), I think Benedict Cumberbatch will be perfect for the role.