By the hoary hosts of Cumberbatch! Get it? Because that’s like Doctor Strange’s catchphrase in the comic books, and also it’s the sort of not-especially-funny pop culture reference that Deadpool would make. Fun, right?
Anyway, here’s some comic book movie casting news that would be a lot more exciting if we hadn’t already assumed that both of these things would happen. First, according to Variety, Ryan Reynolds is officially playing Deadpool again in Fox’s attempt to do right by the character that it pretty much got completely wrong in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. We correctly assumed that Reynolds would be reprising his role as Deadpool back in September, based solely on the fact that Reynolds constantly talks about playing Deadpool and also he did his voice in that animated test footage that got everyone hyped up about Deadpool getting a movie in the first place. So there’s really nothing new here, but at least it’s fun to see Variety awkwardly explain comic book stuff with quotes like “’It’s chimichanga time’ is a reference to Deadpool’s favorite food,” and “Deadpool’s primary power is the ability to heal quickly.” That sure makes this movie sound thrilling!
In comic book movie news that’s only slightly less predictable, Marvel has officially confirmed that famous British guy Benedict Cumberbatch—best known for appearing in every casting rumor ever—will be playing Doctor Stephen Strange in the upcoming Scott Derrickson-directed Doctor Strange movie. Cumberbatch was all but officially attached to Doctor Strange back in October, when we reported that a number of sites had declared that he would be playing the magic physician. Now it’s confirmed, though, so we can finally move on to more pressing issues. Like, for example, who will play Captain Marvel? And the royal family of The Inhumans? Has anyone considered Benedict Cumberbatch for every role in both movies? He’d obviously be perfect for Carol Danvers and/or Lockjaw.