‘Doctor Strange' set photos reveal Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange, tease temple of Ancient One filming

Production on the Scott Derrickson film “Doctor Strange” has been kept in secret for the past months. However, recently, lead actor Benedict Cumberbatch was spotted in Nepal shooting some scenes for the movie. This may be fans’ first glimpse of Stephen Strange since production kicked off in June this year.

Several photos from the Nepal set of “Doctor Strange” have been shared on Twitter and published by Collider. There is one shot of Cumberbatch at a street market somewhere in the capital city of Nepal in Kathmandu. Cumberbatch is dressed in a long trench coat as he stands among the crowd and the crew.

A Twitter user named Anything Cumberbatch shared the photo of the actor with a bushy beard and long hair for his character. The user captioned the image with, “Its a fab pic & defo Cumberbatch doctor strange filming in new road #Kathmandu #nepal, recognised everywhere he goes.”

Another photo from the Nepal set shared by another Twitter user named Cumberbatchweb reveals a closer look at the actor’s character image. The Kathmandu Post also shared an additional photo which was reportedly taken from the Pashupatinath area in Nepal.

The photo shared by Kathmandu Post somehow teases the scene when Stephen Strange finally meets the Ancient One in his temple. In the Marvel comic book lore, Strange learned the ways of magic when he became the Ancient One’s protégé and lived with him in his temple. “Doctor Strange” filming in the Pashupatinath area in Kathmandu is a favourable choice for the production since it’s where the famous Pashupatinath Temple is located.

Considering the photos where Cumberbatch is dressed down and not in his superhero costume, i09 claimed that the scenes were probably filmed before Stephen Strange became the Sorcerer Supreme.

In the original comic book story, Stephen Strange travelled to the Himalayas to seek the Ancient One after he was badly injured in a car accident. Cumberbatch certainly seemed like someone who has travelled far, based on how haggard he looks in the pictures.

“Doctor Strange” is slated for a U.S. release on Nov. 4, 2016. According to Collider, production for the movie kicks off in Nepal before it continues in London.

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