Given the expansive list of characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s undoubtedly a huge nightmare for the producers to align all the schedules for their A-list cast for their standalone pictures. We can only imagine how much more difficult it is for a film like Avengers: Infinity War, which will, as far as we know, bring together pretty much every superhero under the sun introduced in this world thus far. This includes the more recent addition to this world, Doctor Strange, who was portrayed by British thespian Benedict Cumberbatch in the recent standalone film of the same name. While Cumberbatch is set to appear in multiple films in the future, including in Infinity War, it sounds as though his appearance may not be as extensive as one would think.

According to a recent report from Page Six, Cumberbatch’s body double, Aaron Lazar is in Georgia right now, filming scenes for Doctor Strange in place of Cumberbatch, who is busy playing Thomas Edison in The Current War. While we’ll definitely be seeing Cumberbatch for his gorgeous close-ups in the film, a Disney source told the outlet that the studio is “not digitally superimposing Cumberbatch onto another actor’s performance.”

So what does this mean? It sounds like the Lazar, the body double, will be standing in for the majority of the far away or behind-the-back shots, with Cumberbatch coming in only for the necessary close-ups. So how big of a deal is this? As saddening as it is to hear that Cumberbatch won’t actually be around for most of his scenes, Marvel Studios has garnered enough good faith for us to let it slide. So long as we can’t tell, it really shouldn’t matter how much he was around (though acting purists may be a bit miffed by the news).

This does, however, imply that Doctor Strange’s role in the superhero team-up will be a pretty small one. Had the Disney source not batted down speculation surrounding digitally superimposing Cumberbatch’s face over another actor, we could have believed that the majority of the acting could have been done at a later time, and then pasted onto the body double’s face later, The Social Network style. However, since it seems as though the work can be done with Cumberbatch only coming in for those close shots, it’s not unreasonable to believe that his role will be minimal.

While disappointing to those who love the character, Avengers: Infinity War is a movie with a lot on its plate. As much as we’d love to see all thesecharacters in extensive roles, there is only so much screentime one can have. Additionally, there will still be plenty of room for Strange on the roster for Avengers 4, where he’ll likely have a more extensive role as his character becomes more intertwined in the overarching plot.

What do you think of this news? Are you disappointed to hear that Cumberbatch will only be around for those key shots of the film? let us know your thoughts down below!

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SOURCE: Page Six