MAY 6 (Reuters) — From solving murders in central London with “Sherlock” and traipsing through Middle Earth in “The Hobbit,” actor Martin Freeman is heading into the Marvel universe, the Walt Disney Co-owned studio said on Tuesday (May 05).
Freeman, 43, who played Bilbo Baggins in “The Hobbit” trilogy and won an Emmy for his role as Dr. John Watson alongside Benedict Cumberbatch’s crime-solving detective in BBC’s popular “Sherlock” series, is joining the cast of “Captain America: Civil War.”
It is not known yet what role he will play in Marvel Studios’ third installment of “Captain America,” which will see Chris Evans reprise his role as the patriotic superhero and is scheduled for release in May 2016.
Walt Disney Co-owned Marvel Entertainment has had a string of blockbuster hits with its superhero franchise, its latest film “Avengers: Age of Ultron” already amassing $204 million in North America since its May 1 release.
“Civil War” will pick up the story from the end of “Age of Ultron,” where the superheroes will be forced to side with Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) or Captain America as the two battle each other.
Freeman notably starred in 2001’s British documentary series “The Office” and more recently last year received Emmy nominations for his role as a cowed, small town insurance salesman in FX’s hit miniseries “Fargo.”
Cumberbatch will also be joining the Marvel universe as the complex lead of “Doctor Strange,” scheduled for release in November 2016.