BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH RETURNS : ' RIOT '

 

London : Benedict Cumberbatch returns for 'riot'. The actor reprises the role in the sequel for 'Doctor Strange'.

Oscar nominee Benedict Cumberbatch reprises his superhero role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, in the hotly-anticipated sequel which has fans guessing which Marvel characters might make surprise appearances.

The film, which begins its global cinema rollout on May 4, sees Cumberbatch's Doctor Stephen Strange travelling into the multiverse, allowing for different versions of himself.

This, fans say, allow for other Marvel comic book characters to make cameo appearances, just like in last year's Spider-Man : No Way Home film.

''It's just a riot, it's the usual mixture of pathos and humour and some issues that are relatable to all of us, and some extraordinary things,'' Cumberbatch told Reuters at a fan event in London last Tuesday.

''The fact the character is a gateway to a lot of other characters in quite a crowded film, but also to the epic nature to what the multiverse brings to the storylines means it really does deserve to be seen on a big screen.''

The film also stars Benedict Wong as Stranger's trusted friend Wong and Elizabeth Olsen at Wanda Maximoff, a role she played in several Marvel movies as well as series WandaVision. Xochitl Gomez debuts as Americas America Chavez, a queer character.

The Hollywood Reporter said last week the movie had been banned in Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality is illegal. Various outlets have since quoted an AFP report citing an official saying Saudi Arabia had asked Disney to cut ''LGBTQ references''.

The Saudi government communication office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters on Tuesday.

Asked about reports of ban, Cumberbatch said : ''Sort of expected, disappointing. It just makes it all the more important to have this inclusion. I would love to get to the point where this isn't a topic of conversation.''

The World Students Society thanks The Express Tribune.