Bam Smack Pow
Fansided

Benedict Cumberbatch Trusts Marvel, Is Reading Comics To Prepare For Doctor Strange

By Nick Tylwalk

facebooktwitterreddit

Benedict Cumberbatch says he didn’t have many comics around while he was growing up. He’s also a fine enough actor that he might not need to read any now and he’d still do a fine job in the lead role in Marvel’s Doctor Strange.

More from Movies

Still, for fans of the source material, it’s always a comforting thought when the people bringing comics to life on the big screen show a proper amount of respect for what’s come before, and Cumberbatch appears to be in that mindset even as he juggles an incredibly busy schedule.

The English actor told the Wall Street Journal he’s making up for lost time when it comes to Doctor Strange comics, which he didn’t have a chance to absorb earlier in life:

"Growing up, no. I didn’t read many comics at all. Asterix a bit. I think that was it. There weren’t many comics in my household — [in a self-mocking voice] “I’m so deprived.” We didn’t have Marvel so much. But you can bet your bottom dollar I’m reading them now, avidly."

He was also asked whether he thought playing Stephen Strange represented a risk on his part after mentioning that he finds risk-taking rewarding at this stage of his career. Suffice it to say that he doesn’t seem too concerned about the part thanks to the previous successes the studio behind it has racked up:

"I don’t think it’s a risk because of Marvel. Marvel is a stable of bringing out ordinary comic characters and turning them into screen-like gods. It’s very different, it’s an Astral Plane. There’s a huge new element to this Marvel universe that’s going to be employed in building this story and this character. But you know, I’m really excited about it, about working with Scott [Derrickson] whose imagination is endless, and all the boys and girls at Marvel who know what they’re doing."

It’s hard to argue with that assessment at the moment, and I wouldn’t argue with Cumberbatch about anything, really. Remember, he’s also Sherlock Holmes.

More from Bam Smack Pow

Home/Movies