Has Joshua Bassett Been Cast as Wiccan in the Dr. Strange Sequel?

Has actor Joshua Bassett already been cast as Billy Maximoff/Wiccan in Dr. Strange In the Multiverse of Madness?

A tweet from Discussing Film (whose handle is @DuaMaximoff so we’re wary) says he has.

Joshua Bassett will appear in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ as #Wiccan, the Scarlet Witch’s gay, fellow reality warping, son.

Source: @DEADLINE pic.twitter.com/cYmiEhG6Z5

— DiscussingFilm (@duamaximoff) September 4, 2021

Bassett, the star of Disney’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, was the subject of a feature in GQ Magazine in June when he “came out.”

GQ: “Bassett has also found himself at the center of entertainment news in the past few months for other reasons. When his HSMTMTS costar Olivia Rodrigo released the hugely popular single “Drivers License”—it’s racked up over 1 billion streams since January 8 and sat at No. 1 on the Billboard charts for eight weeks—the lyrics of which revolve around a recent breakup, online speculation instantly focused on Bassett, who many fans already believed to be dating Rodrigo. The single he released a week later, “Lie Lie Lie,” in which he sang about his reputation and false narratives, only added to the gossip, even though the song had been written months prior.”

Media exploded: Regé-Jean Page, Kenan Thompson, Bowen Yang, and Pete Davidson sang “Drivers License” on Saturday Night Live; explainers were written; memes were made; and TikTok videos went viral. Then, last month, a video interview with Clevver News in which Bassett called Harry Styles hot was released, fueling another news cycle around his sexuality, and leading to the release of a statement that read, “love who you love shamelessly. it’s ok to still be figuring out who you are. life’s too short to let ignorance and hatred win. i choose love.” The day before, he’d posted on Instagram about how he was taught not to cry as a child, and his belief that the suppression of emotions “is the root of the majority of toxic masculinity.”

Bassett’s sexuality is another aspect of himself that he says he’s still figuring out how to articulate out loud. In that interview where he talked about Harry Styles, he had added that “this is also my coming-out video.” It was hard to tell how serious he was, but now Bassett clarifies that “I wasn’t joking.” The interview had actually been filmed months before, and Bassett had shared that part of himself without second thought. Replaying the moment, he says the myriad of reactions—the love, hate, anger, confusion, texts, and calls—gave him “an opportunity to say something that I believe in.” He adds, “I stood behind every word that I said,” referring to his Instagram post. Bassett later says with confidence, “Even if there are consequences, I would much rather deal with consequences and live my truth than live in fear.”

“I just hope that this generation can feel comfortable, confident, and safe talking about sexuality without needing to be a box and without needing to have it all figured out,” he says. His eyes start to water for a second, before he reaches for his glass and closes them. “It makes me emotional. I didn’t necessarily have that when I was younger. I didn’t have a me saying stuff like this,” he says. He reiterates: “I’m very at peace. I’m celebrating Pride all month long.”

Vulture added: So now that Bassett’s elaborated further, which exclusively gay moment will Disney inevitably slot him into in an upcoming release? Can Rachel Zegler’s Snow White meet a prince who’s part of the alphabet? Is Marvel looking to keep things inside the Disney+ family casting its Wiccan?

Photos by Andy Jackson for GQ.