Has Denzel Washington REALLY Been Cast As Dormammu In DOCTOR STRANGE 3?

If you've been on social media this weekend, chances are you've heard that Doctor Strange 3 is moving forward with filmmaker Sam Raimi. Oh, and that Gladiator II star Denzel Washington has "officially" been cast as Dormammu. Great news, right? Well, while at least one viral X post sharing the news has racked up over 9.5 million views, it's not true. The update comes from Production Weekly, a publication with a 10% chance of ever actually being correct (typically because, beyond production start dates, the information shared is collated from online rumours or fan speculation).  For example, Production Weekly recently revealed that a Mr. Freeze movie is officially in the works from producer Matt Reeves (The Batman). A few hours later, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn confirmed the project doesn't exist. 

While Marvel Studios might be eager to bring Raimi back into the fold for a Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness sequel, we've heard nothing to suggest he's boarded the threequel. As for Washington, while he'd be an amazing Dormammu, we can't find anything beyond fan casts to suggest the legendary actor is presently in talks for the role (several online scoopers have also debunked his involvement). The previous movie featured a multitude of Strange Variants, as has Disney's What If...? However, it was in the movie's closing moments that the hero met Dormammu's daughter Clea and was enlisted to help stop an Incursion he'd supposedly caused. 

We haven't seen Strange since, but in a recent interview looking back at his career, Cumberbatch confirmed he'll shoot a new Avengers movie in 2025. "This is Doctor Strange," the British actor started. "He's a Marvel character and, well, I'll be really honest about it, the joy of playing him is immense. But also the joy of playing him means I can help create and platform stories and writing and less commercial fare into being. He's a gift in many, many ways in my life as a producer, as an actor."

"I love playing him. He's great fun. I'm very much looking forward to Avengers next year which is cooking up a storm," Cumberbatch teased. We know Disney is eager for Marvel Studios to move away from threequels, so Strange's story continuing in the Avengers movies might be an alternative to greenlighting a third movie revolving around him and Clea. It's still possible that will also go into production in 2025, of course, with it dropping between Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.