Before production on Doctor Strange got going in earnest, it was revealed late last week that the chance to play Marvel’s Sorcerer Supreme almost passed Benedict Cumberbatch by, at a time when the studio and director Scott Derrickson began hosting early talks with Joaquin Phoenix, Ryan Gosling and even Suicide Squad‘s Jared Leto about possibly donning that majestic cape.
Fast forward to now and, after a minor reshuffling effort behind the scenes, Cumberbatch is primed to light up the big screen as Doctor Strange come November. But as is so often the case, the actor’s contract with Marvel seems to span further than Derrickson’s origin story, and will allow for Cumberbatch to rub shoulders with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in Avengers: Infinity War.
Though many considered it to be a forgone conclusion, the actor spoke to Empire – see the shimmering new covers here – about the future of Marvel’s Sorcerer Supreme, who looks set to join the ranks of Joe and Anthony Russo’s ensemble movie in a bid to fend off Josh Brolin’s Mad Titan, Thanos.
Getting there won’t be easy, of course, with Cumberbatch himself admitting that there exists a “logistical challenge of aligning his schedule with those of Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany. To get us all together will be quite something. That’s why this character is being introduced, to open up the next chapter… So watch this space to see how that unfolds.”
From what we understand, the Russo brothers plan to shoot Avengers: Infinity War and its untitled sequel back-to-back so as to workaround these scheduling headaches. The former is slated to arrive on May 4, 2018, before the conclusive chapter in Joe and Anthony Russo’s star-studded epic descends into theaters on May 3, 2019. Doctor Strange, meanwhile hits on November 4, 2016.
