Marvel actor also stars in the upcoming indie film ‘The Power of Dog’
During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, while promoting his upcoming film ‘The Power of Dog’, actor Benedict Cumberbatch also opened up about his Marvel stint so far.
The British actor plays Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and will play a pivotal role in the upcoming ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, set to release worldwide on December 17 this year.
“There’s a close relationship,” Cumberbatch said when asked about the relationship between Strange and Spider-Man. “They’re neighbourhood superheroes, and they’ve had an experience or two. They’ve got history. It might be the case that Peter asks me to help him do something? I think I’m allowed to say that much. I help him fill in his tax returns. That’s what I do.”
The actor will also reprise his Doctor Strange role in the sequel film ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’, set to release in March of 2022.
While he was in New Zealand shooting ‘The Power of the Dog’, Cumberbatch got a call from Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, who told him Marvel was replacing director Scott Derrickson, who had helmed and co-written the 2016 ‘Doctor Strange’ movie, over creative differences on the sequel. “I was sad to hear about it, but that was not my decision,” Cumberbatch said. “I completely respected the studio’s decision, and it was done very amicably. The grown-ups called and just talked me through it. And that was that.”
Sam Raimi, who directed the three Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies, was brought on board.
“He was an assured pair of hands, who knew that world,” Cumberbatch said of Raimi. “He’s got certain Raimi traits. The smashed-zoom close-up. The mixture of just on the level of horror and just on the level of camp. There’s fun in there, but there should be some real thrills as well.”
Raimi encouraged Cumberbatch to improvise. “With the first film, you’re always locked into a script, because it’s the origin story,” he said. “But there was a lot more freedom this time around. I guess, because we were … not literally making it up as we go along, but sometimes it feels like that. Marvel has this amazing ability to come into production: ‘We really just have to start shooting now. It doesn’t matter that the third act is not quite where you want it to be.’ You really do things on a wing and a prayer sometimes.”
Get Breaking News Alerts From Gulf News
We’ll send you latest news updates through the day. You can manage them any time by clicking on the notification icon.
Dear Reader,
This section is about Living in UAE and essential information you cannot live without.
Register to read and get full access to gulfnews.com
By clicking below to sign up, you’re agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Forgot password
or