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LOS ANGELES, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- Benedict Cumberbatch is slated to star in Doctor Strange. The 38-year-old actor is reportedly Marvel's pick to portray the title character. Joaquin Phoenix originally seemed poised to take the role, but negotiations fell apart in early October.
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Scott Derrickson (Sinister) will helm the project, with Marvel president Kevin Feige as producer and John Spaihts (Prometheus) as writer. Tom Hardy and Jared Leto were also considered for Doctor Strange.
Dr. Stephen Strange is a neurosurgeon-turned-superhero in the original comics. He serves as the Sorcerer Supreme, and is responsible for defending Earth from magical and mystical threats. Strange possesses several magical items, and also draws power from mystical beings to enhance his abilities as a sorcerer.
Cumberbatch will next appear as Alan Turing in The Imitation Game in November. The actor is scheduled for a number of other films, including Black Mass and Flying Horse, and will voice characters in Penguins of Madagascar, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies and Jungle Book: Origins.
