‘Doctor Who’ Exec Squashes Benedict Cumberbatch Rumors

We love a good casting announcement, whether its insanity like Kathy Bates taking over for Charlie Sheen on 'Two and a Half Men,' or simply the announcement of a 'Walking Dead' fan-favorite character's casting.  Sadly, sometimes these things simply aren't meant to be...

In spite of earlier rumors that suggested that 'Sherlock' and 'Star Trek 2' star Benedict Cumberbatch could take the role of "The Master" opposite his BBC brother of the 'Doctor Who' 50th anniversary special, 'Who' showrunner and executive producer Steven Moffat has dashed any hope of the actor's series crossover.

Speaking to RadioTimes.com at the Royal Television Society awards, Moffat clarified for the ravenous fans, "People really do sit in rooms and make that stuff up. Look at the filming schedules for 'Doctor Who' and 'Sherlock' - those two shows tend to shoot at the same time. We’d have a problem and there’s only so much I can arrange."  But never one to completely destroy a fanboy's hope, Moffat did follow it up by saying, "But who knows what could happen in the future?"

The dismissal of Benedict Cumberbatch seemingly puts to rest one of a number of rumors surrounding 'Doctor Who's 50th anniversary special, set to air in 2013, including the potential return of a number of past "Doctors" like Tenth Doctor David Tennant, Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy, and Eighth Doctor Paul McGann.  Other rumors have swirled about who might take the place of Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith's companion, once current co-stars Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill depart after the seventh series.

Though Cumberbatch is currently in the midst of shooting his mysterious villainous role in 'Star Trek 2,' Moffat did have a few comments about the third series of 'Sherlock,' saying, Mark [Gatiss] and I have planned it out. We haven’t started writing it yet because I've got God knows how many episodes of 'Doctor Who' to get sorted first. But the way it works with 'Sherlock' is that we starve you and then we give you a short burst and then we starve you again. It’s worked so far, we’re not going to change it."

While it's a bummer that we won't get to see Benedict Cumberbatch and Matt Smith go head to head on 'Doctor Who,' at least there's plenty to keep both busy and entertaining us for the time being!  What say you?  Who would you like to see take the role of "The Master," or return for 'Doctor Who's 50th anniversary?  Give us your take in the comments below!