More magic for Benedict Cumberbatch as he’s set to star in The War Magician

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Looks like DOCTOR STRANGE won't be Benedict Cumberbatch's only foray into the world of magic, Bob Cooper and Richard Saperstein of Storyscape Entertainment have announced that Cumberbatch is attached to star in THE WAR MAGICIAN as Jasper Maskelyne, a British magician whose clever illusions helped the Allied forces fight against the Nazis during World War II.

THE WAR MAGICIAN will be adapted from David Fisher's book of the same name by Gary Whitta (THE BOOK OF ELI) and, according to the producers, will follow Jasper Maskelyne as he puts together "The Magic Gang" and uses illusions in order to hide strategic targets, conceal men and machinery, and help turn to the tide of the war against the Nazis. Jasper Maskelyne's techniques were allegedly so effective that Hitler added the magician to a blacklist of men like Douglas MacArthur and Bernard Montgomery who would receive "special" treatment from the Nazis if they were ever captured alive. There's some dispute over how much Maskelyne really did for the war effort, but it's one heck of a story regardless.

Benedict Cumberbatch is currently shooting DOCTOR STRANGE, which follows the story of neurosurgeon Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) who, after a horrific car accident, discovers the hidden world of magic and alternate dimensions. DOCTOR STRANGE will hit theaters on November 4, 2016.