After months of speculations, many major entertainment outlets -including Deadline– are reporting that Bennedict Cumberbatch has entered final conversations with Marvel Studios to play the sorcerer supreme in their “Doctor Strange” movie. In a recent interview with MTV at the San Diego Comic-Con, the actor denied his involvement citing scheduling difficulties with his commitment with a play.
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If a deal is closed, getting the actor that became popular for his portrayal of the fictional detective in “Sherlock” is a great move by the studio behind “The Avengers”: They don’t only add a young and talented performer with geek credentials (he played Kahn in “Star Trek: Into Darkness” and voiced the dragon Smaug in the latest ‘Hobbit’ films), but also prevents Warner Bros. from getting his service in a DC adaptation.

Among the rumored contenders (Jared Leto, Tom Hardy, Keanu Reeves), Joaquin Phoenix was the closest to get the role, but he ended up walking away.

We will enjoy Cumberbatch’s talent in three movies before the year ends, “The Imitation Game,” “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” and “The Penguins of Madagascar.”

“Doctor Strange,” directed by Scott Derrickson, is expected to hit theaters in 2016.