Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Cumberbatch, best actor nominee for his role in "The Imitation Game," arrives at the 87th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California February 22, 2015. Reuter/Lucas Jackson

As if a stint as sorcerer supreme in “Doctor Strange” wasn’t enough, “Sherlock” actor Benedict Cumberbatch will play another role as a magician in the upcoming film “The War Magician.”

According to Deadline, the film will be produced by Storyscape Entertainment’s Bob Cooper and Richard Saperstein alongside Tony Eldridge, Adam Ackland and Adam Selves from Cumberbatch’s production company, SunnyMarch. As of now, no director has been named.

“The War Magician” is based on David Fisher’s fact-based book of the same name. The film will follow the story of magician Jasper Maskelyne (Cumbebatch), a world-famous magician who led a group called The Magic Gang that helped trick the Nazis during the World War II. The group reportedly managed to conceal 150,000 men hiding in the Alexandria harbor and in the Suez Canal.

Fisher claimed that Maskelyne and his cohorts won the battle of El Alamein in Egypt by using mirrors to shield machine guns, by disguising tanks as supply trucks and by creating an illusion of troop movements to Nazi spy planes overhead.

Last year, Cumberbatch played the role of World War II hero Alan Turing in “The Imitation Game.” His character saved lives by decrypting German intelligence codes for the British government. For his performance in the film, Cumberbatch received numerous accolades, including an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

In an interview with Variety, Cooper revealed that the discussions with Cumberbatch about “The War Magician” began last year. “The Maskelyne character is so different from the one that Benedict portrayed in 'The Imitation Game’ in that Maskelyne was very outgoing and confident,” he said. “We think this is a perfect blend of acting talent with material.”

Cumberbatch is currently busy filming “Doctor Strange”. His other upcoming projects include “Zoolander 2," and he will also voice tiger Shere Khan in “Jungle Book: Origins.”

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