Benedict Cumberbatch continues quest for world domination, gets 'Doctor Strange' role

He’s the voice of Smaug. He’s Sherlock Holmes. He’s the new Khan Noonien Singh. He’s Richard III. He’s Alan Turing. And now, he is Marvel’s Doctor Strange.

But most of all, he’s Benedict Cumberbatch, who is easily the hottest actor in Hollywood at the moment. All he needs now is some role in the new Star Wars franchise and he will be set for life.

On Thursday, Marvel finally confirmed that Cumberbatch will play the title role in Scott Derrickson’s Doctor Strange. The film will launch Marvel’s Phase Three and will introduce movie audiences to the mystical part of the Marvel universe. It’s a big task, but Cumberbatch should be up to the challenge.

Cumberbatch’s meteoric rise from British TV star to Hollywood’s A-list has been a long journey, but it’s finally paying off for him. Anyone who has even only seen one episode of Sherlock can tell that we are not overrating his skills. He manages to take over a role and despite his unique look, he still disappears. You forget that he’s Cumberbatch and he becomes Sherlock in seconds. It’s a skill not too many actors have today.

While Cumberbatch had a good supporting part in last year’s Best Picture Oscar winner, 12 Years A Slave, the ultimate honor for him will be securing a Best Actor nomination. The Fifth Estate didn’t earn enough praise to keep him in that conversation last year, but it appears that The Imitation Game won’t meet that same fate.

In that film, he plays Alan Turing, the math genius who helped crack a key German code to boost the Allies’ chances in World War II. He was later persecuted for being a homosexual after the war though. The film starts its U.S. run on Christmas Day.

Cumberbatch has proven already that he can move from blockbusters to Oscar bait with ease. He’s already done work on Peter Jackson’s Hobbit movies as the voice of the dragon Smaug. He also played Khan in J.J. Abrams’ plot hole-filled Star Trek Into Darkness. Lastly, he will also voice Shere Khan in Andy Serkis’ Jungle Book: Origins movie in 2016.

Now that Cumberbatch has secured a role in the Marvel universe, he has made sure that he’s not just a flash in the pan. While he might cool off someday, he’s got the skills to stick around this business for a long time.

image courtesy of INFphoto.com

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