'Doctor Strange' director baffles fans with Cumberbatch art

When Marvel confirmed earlier in December that British actor Benedict Cumberbatch ("Sherlock") would be playing the role of mysterious superhero Doctor Strange, fans were anxious to see what the actor's look would be in the film of the same name. In fact, fans excitedly shared their fan art of the actor in costume when rumors of Cumberbatch in the lead role began to circulate in October.

This week, "Doctor Strange" director Scott Derrickson tweeted, on the evening of December 21, some spectacular fan art by digital artist Don Franco. Derrickson captioned the fan art with the quote "Strange but not a stranger" -- a lyric from the Talking Heads song "Burning Down the House."

The fan art shows Cumberbatch with a mustache and beard similar to Doctor Strange's famous facial hair in the Marvel comics. An image of a nebula or some other such astronomical phenomenon is superimposed onto Cumberbatch's face, suggesting the astral plane and Doctor Strange's mystical powers.

The art was so impressive that many bloggers thought it was official concept art. However, to clarify that the art was not from the upcoming Marvel film, Derrickson tweeted, "Last tweet is online fan art, not official."

Alas, fans may have to wait a bit longer before Marvel shows off Cumberbatch's final look for the movie, which is scheduled to hit theaters on November 4, 2016.

Hopefully, Derrickson, whose credits include quite a few horror hits such as "Sinister," "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" and "Deliver Us From Evil," will delight us with not only more fan art of Doctor Strange but eventually with official concept art as well.