Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch confirmed to play Doctor Strange in new Marvel film

Benedict Cumberbatch has finally been confirmed to play Marvel’s Doctor Strange.

17:40 05 December 2014

Following months of speculation, Benedict Cumberbatch has finally been confirmed to play Marvel’s Doctor Strange. He was reportedly competing for the role against Oscar winner Jared Leto and triple Oscar nominee Joaquin Phoenix.

The action film follows the life of Dr Stephen Strange, who after being involved in a car crash, becomes attuned to the world of magic and alternate dimensions.

Doctor Strange, which is to be directed by Scott Derrickson, has a release date of November 2016 penciled in. The action movie is part of Marvel’s Phase Three of film releases along with the third Captain America and Thor films, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, and fellow new franchise Black Panther.

The films will share interwoven storylines that will lead to the two-part blockbuster, The Avengers. This means that Cumberbatch may share the screen with Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johansson among many others.

Cumberbatch’s new role let him follow the footsteps of other British-cast superheroes including Henry Cavill, who is the current incarnation of Superman, Spiderman actor Andrew Garfield and former Batman star Christian Bale.