In a shocking reveal, The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Benedict Cumberbatch will be joining the cast of Marvel Studio’s third currently untitled Spider-Man film, reprising his role as Doctor Stephen Strange.
According to THR, Cumberbatch’s Strange will be filling the vacant role of mentor to Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, which was previously occupied by Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark and Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury in the previous two films in Marvel Studios new take on the web-headed hero. This announcement comes hot off the heels of the reports that Jamie Foxx’s Electro from Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man series will also be returning.
Cumberbatch was already slated to reprise his role for Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which is set to begin filming in London later this year with former Spider-Man director Sam Raimi at the helm. That film, which is set to explore the potential of alternate realties in the Marvel universe, seems to be the connecting tissue for the direction Marvel appears to be taking with this next Spidey adventure, with additional reports of other former Spider-Man co-stars from past series rumoured to be appearing as well, lending credibility to the claim.
Both Marvel Studios and Sony so far have no comment on this news.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 is currently slated to release on December 16th, 2021, with filming set to begin in Atlanta next week.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set to release on March 25th, 2022.
