Benedict Cumberbatch in Talks to Star in 'Doctor Strange'

After negotiations with Joaquin Phoenix to star in Marvel's Doctor Strange ended, the studio went back to the drawing board to find their star to take the role of Sorcerer Supreme. Names that were still circling around the role after the departure of Phoenix were those of  Jared Leto and Tom Hardy, but apparently Marvel's first choice for the part is Benedict Cumberbatch. The actor is reported to be about to begin negotiations to land the leading role in the film.

Deadline reported the beginning of the negotiations that could see Benedict Cumberbatch become Stephen Strange. Cumberbatch was also rumored to be a contender for the role before, but it is only now that we are getting reports that the actor is actually in talks to star, and according to the report, it is expected that Marvel will close the deal with Cumberbatch.

Before commenting it is important to keep in mind that none of this is official yet, Marvel has not yet announced Benedict Cumberbatch as the lead for Doctor Strange, nor the actor has said so either, and what happened with Joaquin Phoenix is the prefect example that we can't take anything as fact until it is officially announced. But being that the deal with Cumberbatch is closed, I would be completely happy with the choice. He is an amazingly talented actor and is no stranger to big productions, since he has been in the Star Trek and The Hobbit franchises, he is also receiving early Oscar buzz for his role in the film The Imitation Game. Doctor Strange will be directed by Scott Derrickson from a script by Jon Spaihts, no release date has been announced yet, but it is expected that the film will hit theaters in Summer 2016.