On Oct. 28, Marvel held a press conference which announced the third phase of the Marvel films. Many new franchises were announced including "Black Panther," "Inhumans," "Captain America 3" and many more. "Doctor Strange" was also confirmed, but there was something missing with the announcement -- the lead role of Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme.

Benedict Cumberbatch, who has been linked to the film, was not officially announced. Kevin Feige later stated, "If [Doctor Strange casting] was confirmed, we would have announced it today." This revelation had many pundits' eyes rolling, as it was expected that Cumberbatch was confirmed to play the role.

With Marvel not revealing the casting, there could be a possibility that Cumberbatch will not be taking on the leading role. Perhaps the actor and the studio did not come to an agreement.

Variety reported a few days ago that Joaquin Phoenix and Marvel were unable to come to agreement on the film because there were too many films Phoenix would have to agree to.

Cumberbatch has already had reoccurring roles in "The Hobbit" and he is currently starring in the hit TV series "Sherlock." As result, it is unlikely Cumberbatch will have an issue with playing the same role more than once.

Additionally, Cumberbatch has also been part of another franchise, "Star Trek." In that series he played the role of Khan, but is unlikely to return to the series.

However, Cumberbatch is one of the busiest actors nowadays. Last year, he starred in five films and this year he will star in three: "The Imitation Game," "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" and "Penguins of Madagascar." Cumberbatch is likely to be nominated for an Oscar and that will make even busier as he campaigns his role as Alan Turing in "The Imitation Game."

On his IMDb, he has five films in post-production and pre-production. Additionally, Cumberbatch is still in "Sherlock" and he still has theater commitments. This could cause an issue particularly for Marvel, which has a set schedule.

The Doctor Strange character was co-created by Marvel Comics vets Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in 1963. If Cumberbatch was to join the production, he would play Stephen Vincent Strange, a former neurosurgeon who becomes the next Sorcerer Supreme and primary protector of Earth against magical and mystical threats.

In the comicbooks, the character pairs up with Thor and the Avengers, along with Spider-Man, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four to battle enemies.

Marvel has already teased Strange in several films, including "Thor" and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier."

According to IMDb, the new film will tells the story of a brilliant, but arrogant surgeon who gets a new lease on life when a powerful sorcerer takes him under his wing and trains him to defend the world against evil.

"Doctor Strange" is slated to be directed by Scott Derrickson, who is best known for his work on "Sinister" and "Deliver Us from Evil." The film is scheduled to begin shooting in May 2015 at Pinewood-Shepperton studios in the U.K., and is scheduled for release on Nov. 4, 2016.

There have been no plans of a sequel but it is expected the character will be part of "The Avengers: Infinity Wars."

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