'Doctor Strange' Star Benedict Cumberbatch to Lend Voice to 'The Grinch'

Marvel's Doctor Strange star Benedict Cumberbatch has agreed to give voice to the Grinch in the animated take of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas titled The Grinch.

During the ongoing CinemaCon, Illumination Entertainment CEO Chris Meledanri stated that they cast Cumberbatch for the role because he is among those stars who can express comedic wickedness. Meledanri was quoted by USA Today as:

"Choosing the actor to voice The Grinch, we were determined to make a choice that would not only define this version of The Grinch as absolutely singular, but most importantly, we were looking for a voice to express comedic wickedness while embodying vulnerability."

#BenedictCumberbatch trades his hoary hosts for Whoville, cast in #Grinch movie: https://t.co/DxJvL05xiP pic.twitter.com/GzD8BPlOFF

— Nerdist (@nerdist) April 14, 2016

Meledanri further stated that with Cumberbatch on-board, they are likely to create a character who is not only entertaining, but also "has an irresistible appeal."

Meledanri also revealed that their take on Dr. Seuss's character will be both modern and traditional as the team has been inspired from the original book written by Ted Geisel. He was quoted by Deadline as:

"What we've set out to do with this telling of the Grinch is make it both modern and traditional at the same time. When I say that I mean from a traditional standpoint, we've really tried to go back to what we perceive as the essence of what Ted Geisel was communicating."

The Grinch is a fictional character created by Dr. Seuss and he was first appeared in 1957's Christmas Story, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Grinch is said to be a grouchy, solitary creature who tries to put an end to Christmas by stealing Christmas Eve items from the homes of Whoville on Christmas Eve. This won't be the first time when the fans of green-colored creature get to see it on the big screen. In 2000, Ron Howard directed a live-action film based on the original animated film starring Jim Carrey in the titular role.

Well, given the previous performances by Cumberbatch, even we are sure that he is the right choice to play the role of Mr. Grinch.

The Grinch is slated for a Nov. 10, 2017 release. Are you guys excited? Tell us in the comments below.