Tumblr bloggers will have something to look forward to over the next year and a half as Marvel Studios officially announced Benedict Cumberbatch will become the Sorcerer Supreme in Doctor Strange. Directed by Scott Derrickson (Sinister; Deliver Us From Evil), the ‘Batch will join the rest of the Marvel superheroes in Phase 3 of the Cinematic Universe on July 8, 2016.

After rumors were flying left and right about who would be playing Dr. Stephen Strange, it was Deadline who got the scoop on Cumberbatch playing the titular character. While no confirmation was made at the big Marvel Studios Phase 3 event in late October, Producer Kevin Fiege was excited to reveal the casting news to the public officially:

“Stephen Strange’s story requires an actor capable of great depth and sincerity. In 2016, Benedict will show audiences what makes Doctor Strange such a unique and compelling character.”

Benedict Cumberbatch has played a mountain of roles over the past few years. Most notably as a modern take on British private investigator Sherlock Holmes, who won himself a Primetime Emmy this year. Now if writer Jon Spaihts (The Darkest Hour; Prometheus) inserts a joke about Sherlock meeting Sherlock (Robert Downey Jr.), minds will explode.

This awards season, the British actor has been making his rounds in the Alan Turing biopic The Imitation Game. He can also be “seen” this year in the final installment of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies as the infamous dragon Smaug.

Here’s the unofficial log line for Doctor Strange that is on IMDb right now:

After his career is destroyed, a brilliant but arrogant surgeon gets a new lease on life when a sorcerer takes him under his wing and trains him to defend the world against evil.

No other casting announcements have been made at this time. But if you’re interested in learning more about Doctor Strange, I can point you to a short animated film on Netflix that covers the sorcerer’s origins pretty thoroughly.

Doctor Strange is currently predicted to land in theaters on July 8, 2016.

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Source: Marvel