Spider-Man 3 casts Benedict Cumberbatch in mentor role as Doctor Strange
The actor will be filming Spider-Man 3 back to back with Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.
Spider-Man 3 will star Benedict Cumberbatch reprising his Doctor Strange character in a mentor role to Tom Holland's title character, AKA Peter Parker.
It's characteristic of the Spider-Man franchise for Peter to have a father figure. In 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming, Robert Downey Jr AKA Tony Stark/Iron Man was the man for the job, while in last year's Spider-Man: Homecoming, Samuel L Jackson's Nick Fury was the guiding light.
Cumberbatch's casting comes just a week after it was announced Jamie Foxx was in final talks to reprise the villainous Electro in Spider-Man 3, marking the character's switch from the Sony Pictures iteration of Spider-Man, which starred Andrew Garfield, to the Marvel Cinematic Universe version, starring Holland.
Foxx’s casting was a left field move because Electro was a character from the Sony Pictures line of Spider-Man films, which included Tobey Maguire’s original trilogy and Garfield’s two films. The return of Electro would mark a further merging of the Sony Pictures line with Marvel Studios’, which is behind the more recent Holland films.
It's not the first time Cumberbatch and Holland have met on screen as Doctor Strange and Spider-man – they first encountered each other in Avengers: Infinity War.
Cumberbatch will add his natural gravitas to Spider-Man 3 and no little audience appeal, as well as providing the mentor that young Peter needs.
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Cumberbatch is about to begin filming Doctor Strange sequel Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness in London, while Spider-Man 3 will begin production in Atlanta, Georgia later this month.
It is unclear how Cumberbatch will film both roles and Marvel and Sony had to comment.
Most of the supporting cast from the previous Holland-starring blockbusters – including Zendaya, Marisa Tomei, Tony Revolori and Jacob Batalon — were expected to also be returning for the MCU movie.
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