The rumor mill has been swirling quite some time about a Doctor Strange movie. Who could play the Sorcerer Supreme? Will the film be released in Phase 3? Will he replace Tony Stark as a central character? Recently Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige sat down at the ‘Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King’ screening launch and talked about the good doctor. Some of the rumors are touched upon and some, not so much.
First up, there was a recent article that the search is on for a director for the film and that the four front runners for the chair included Mark Andrews (‘Brave’, ‘John Carter‘), Nikolaj Arcel (‘A Royal Affair”’), Dean Israelite(‘Welcome to Yesterday’, ‘Acholiland’), and Jonathan Levine(‘Warm Bodies‘, ’50/50’). How true was that? Well there was some truth to it but…
“Well, that article was true that we’re meeting a lot of people now. That article was not true about who we’re meeting or what level anybody is. But we’re actively looking.”
So that brings us no closer to who will actually be helming the film quite yet. So what are they looking for in a director and are they looking for people past who have just worked in the fantasy realm in the past?
“Of course, of course. We always look at a wide range of people with a wide range of backgrounds. There’s only one criteria: do something that we think is really cool. [Laughs] That’s about it.”
So far Marvel has been hitting it out of the ballpark with things that are ‘cool’ (even with the flop that was ‘Iron Man 2’), so I’m eager to see what they can do with one of the hardest characters Marvel has created so far. Of course, if the fan reaction from the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ trailer is any indication, they’ll be able to pull this one off.
Casting, however, was a touchy subject for Feige. There was recently a rumor that Johnny Depp was being considered which was over just as quickly as it was announced. That being said was Depp ever in the running?
“No, no. When you have a project that’s been around as long as Doctor Strange, there is sometimes, “Oh, I’ve met with Stan about this! Or I did that!” So Strange is one of those projects that predates me by a long shot. Obviously, the character does, but even in its cinematic brewing. So there’s a lot of things that have happened before me, and I’ve been here 14 years. So that’s a long time ago. I don’t know if that happened then.”
So while anyone is possible, Depp wasn’t actively being sought after at the time of that announcement. So who are they considering? Someone famous? A relatively unknown?
“You know, I would say that we’re pretty transparent, right? Doctor Strange would be our — well, depending on when we make it, it could be our 13th, 14th, 15th movie, right? I think if you’re looking to track our decision-making and how we’ve done things, we have a pretty wide track record now where you can sort of see. So, no, a movie star is not required, but that doesn’t mean a movie star wouldn’t be great. It just depends.”
Sounds like even at this stage Marvel isn’t sure. I’d place money on us not hearing about casting before we hear about a director so everyone hoping for a response should probably quit holding their breath for the time being.
So there you have it folks! Marvel IS meeting with director’s for ‘Doctor Strange’. Casting is still up in the air and we probably won’t be hearing who will take up the Eye Of Agamotto on screen quite yet. I am curious if he’ll end up getting the Orb of Agamotto out of Odin’s Trophy Room where it seems to be sitting from the past ‘Thor’ films.
Who would you like to see take on the director’s chair for ‘Doctor Strange’? Do you think they should go for well a known star or a newcomer on this Marvel’s characters that even comic writers have a tough time making a well put together piece? Share your thoughts below true believers!
Source: IGN