Doctor Strange: Tilda Swinton will play The Ancient One alongside Benedict Cumberbatch

Swinton had been rumoured for the part of the hero's mentor since May

Tilda Swinton will play The Ancient One in Doctor Strange (Getty Images)

Tilda Swinton has put an end to the rumours and confirmed herself for a role in Marvel's Doctor Strange.

The British actress, 54, will begin production with lead star Benedict Cumberbatch in the UK later this year, ahead of the film's planned 28 October 2016 release.

Swinton will play Doctor Strange's Tibetan mystic mentor The Ancient One, whose magical abilities include teleportation, illusions and levitation.

The character is portrayed as an old man in the popular comics on which the movie will be based, but Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has said that the original story will be modernised.

Swinton was first tipped to play a female version of The Ancient One in May, but has said that she is now "so far in talks [with Marvel] that we're not talking any more".

"It's done," she told Screen Crush. "I just really liked the premise of this and the idea of playing this character. I'm a Marvel fan and I think this particular world that Doctor Strange goes into is really, really, really exciting. I'm really interested as both an actor and a fan to see what's done in this particular world."

Swinton has hinted that Doctor Strange will be less about "everything exploding at the end" and more about "creativity".

"It's about something very different," she said. "The idea of playing The Ancient One is just too tickling. I can't say no to that!"

Swinton has had a varied career spanning 30 years, playing a mixture of androgynous and typically 'feminine' roles. from the 1992 adaptation of Virginia Woolf's Orlando to her Oscar-winning turn as a corporate lawyer in 2007's Michael Clayton.

Chiwetel Ejiofor is also on board for Doctor Strange, playing villain Baron Mordo who will amalgamate a range of characters from the comic's extensive mythology.