The internet was broken today when Mike Fleming announced on Deadline that Marvel had named Benedict Cumberbatch their top choice to play Doctor Strange in a feature slated for 2016, and that they were beginning negotiations. This is still an unconfirmed rumor, and the Strange casting rumors have been brewing for quite some time. Joaquin Phoenix was a confirmed choice up until the beginning of this month, but then they were back to the drawing board.
Over the past months, everyone from Hugh Laurie to Tom Hardy, Keanu Reeves, Johnny Depp, and Daniel Radcliffe have been mentioned in connection with the project. Keen Ringers have tapped Cumberbatch for the role since at least July. It looks like this might be an accurate prophesy. Marvel has been cagey, neither confirming nor denying the report, with Executive Editorial Director Ryan Penagos tweeting about #seeeekrits all afternoon.
We may not have long to wait for confirmation of this particular rumor. Marvel is holding a special press event in Los Angeles tomorrow (which you can follow on their live blog) to make some undisclosed #seeeekrit announcements. TheOneRing.net will be on hand at the event to get the scoop!
So far Middle-earth fans have embraced Benedict Cumberbatch as a villain supreme “The Hobbit” films, in his roles as both Smaug and the Necromancer (aka Sauron). He’s twisted our minds as a cunning genius in the wildly popular BBC “Sherlock” series, and he rolled villainy and genius into one as Khan in “Star Trek Return of the Lens Flare Into Darkness”. Now it looks like he may have the chance to conquer comics as he has science fiction and fantasy.
The “Sorceror Supreme” of the Marvel universe, Doctor Strange is described as “brilliant, but arrogant,” which certainly seems to be a trend in all the characters mentioned above! And who better than the Necromancer to serve as what Marvel President Kevin Feige describes as the “doorway into Marvel’s supernatural side”?
Tell us in the comments what you think about Benedict Cumberbatch taking on the role of the mightiest magician in the cosmos. Who would win in a fight? The Necromancer or Doctor Strange?
New behind-the-scenes footage from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug reveals more about how Benedict Cumberbatch created the voice and personality of the dragon.
Dressed for motion-capture, Cumberbatch lies on a raised, carpeted platform and snarls at an unseen Biblo.
In the video, director Peter Jackson explains: “We wanted someone who would do something original, unexpected — something that was a surprise to us.”
Last weekend at New York Comic-Con fans got a look at three new items among the many that Weta Workshop brought with them. Two of the new items are from The Hobbit Trilogy, while the third is from The Lord of the Rings.
Joining his father Azog we can now look forward to adding Bolg to our collections. This massive statue comes in at 15″ tall with a base width of 11.22″ and has an arrival date during the first quarter of next year.
One prop I have been looking forward to being made after seeing The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, was the Black Arrow that we see Bard bring out of storage. This has become a reality with Weta having this on show at New York Comic-Con. Due out in the fourth quarter of this year this awesome looking prop comes in at an impressive 82.6″ long. Also due out during the fourth quarter of this year is Saruman the White’s staff. This joins the staffs of Gandalf the Grey and Radagast the Brown.
If you were at Comic-Con 2014 this year and stopped by artist Jerry Vanderstelt’s booth, then you got the chance to see him bring a 6 foot by 4 foot art print of Smaug to life. Now for those of you who could not make it to Comic-Con here’s your chance to see what it was like watching one of Middle-earth’s greatest characters came to life.
If you’re interested in buying this piece, it is available for sale on ebay, all you have to do is contact Jerry, or, if you want to snag any of his other amazing prints, you can do all of this through his Vanderstelt Studio Store. You can also stay up to date on all of Jerry’s work by checking out his Facebook Page.
The summer of Smaug continues with another new product of the best dragon to ever appear on the big screen. We’re pleased to team up with our friends at The Bridge Direct to exclusively announce their Smaug action figure for their The Hobbit Trilogy line of figurines. This huge Smaug figure has an exclusive pre-sale starting TODAY at WB.Com in which fans can place a pre-order for this figure that will be limited to only 3000 pieces world-wide. Smaug could be yours for $69 and will be shipping from WB.Com in December of this year.
Full description of Smaug from The Bridge Direct:
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies ™ Smaug ™ Large Scale Poseable Action Figure
From the depths of Erebor and the film The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies comes this detailed, limited edition Smaug the dragon large scale action figure, complete with a surprise 1.5″ figure and accessory. Featuring an impressive 22 inch wingspan, Smaug stands tall, measuring 21 inches. No details were overlooked as this center piece of any action figure collection was in development. Smaug boasts ten points of articulation and underwent over 140 painting procedures. The figure is plastic, but Smaug’s tail and wingtips have a wire core, allowing for additional poses. This item has a limited edition production run of 3000 units and each box will be labeled with a gold sticker indicating the number.
Tonight’s newsletter from Weta Workshop provides us with an update on the many items that were on display during Comic-Con 2014.
As we posted the other day, the massive new Balrog statue will pre-order on September 22nd at 1pm PST. This statue will have an edition size of 1500 pieces world wide and will be 21″ tall with a 17.5″ long base. So this is going to be an attention grabbing piece in any collection.
The internet was broken today when Mike Fleming announced on Deadline that Marvel had named Benedict Cumberbatch their top choice to play Doctor Strange in a feature slated for 2016, and that they were beginning negotiations. This is still an unconfirmed rumor, and the Strange casting rumors have been brewing for quite some time. Joaquin Phoenix was a confirmed choice up until the beginning of this month, but then they were back to the drawing board.
So far Middle-earth fans have embraced Benedict Cumberbatch as a villain supreme “The Hobbit” films, in his roles as both Smaug and the Necromancer (aka Sauron). He’s twisted our minds as a cunning genius in the wildly popular BBC “Sherlock” series, and he rolled villainy and genius into one as Khan in “Star Trek 
