Peter Parker has found his latest superhero mentor, as Benedict Cumberbatch has signed up to reprise his role as Doctor Strange in Spider-Man 3. Since the wall-crawler swung his way into the MCU, Tom Holland’s Spidey has always been guided by more experienced Avengers. Iron Man obviously filled this gig throughout his initial appearances, but he also teamed up with Nick Fury (or his Skrull double, anyway) in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Next, it’s Stephen Strange’s turn to show the kid the ropes.
The Hollywood Reporter broke the exciting news this afternoon and confirmed that the Sorcerer Supreme will have a major role in the threequel and will take over as the new “father figure” in Peter’s life. Marvel is presumably inspired to go in this direction by the long history of Spidey and Strange partnering up in the comics. The two characters share the same creators, after all – Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
This is the second surprising casting announcement for the Marvel/Sony production in as many weeks, following the news that Jamie Foxx is returning as Electro from 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 3. THR makes the good point that Strange’s involvement in Spidey 3 could explain Foxx’s comeback, too. Maybe there’s a direct link between the multiversal mayhem of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the web-head’s movie?
The outlet likewise confirms that both films are due to begin shooting this very month. Spider-Man 3 is kicking off production in Atlanta, while Doctor Strange 2 is getting things started in London. It’s not currently clear how Cumberbatch will juggle both projects at once, but clearly he’s going to be a busy guy over the next little while.
Spider-Man 3 is scheduled to hit cinemas on December 17th, 2021 and as things currently stand, Doctor Strange 2 comes out a few months later on March 25th, 2022.