14 DAY TRIAL // It's hard to think of a role or a movie that has elicited more passions in the recent past than Marvel's upcoming superhero movie “Doctor Strange.” The reason for that is the fact that Marvel is pinning a lot of hope (and money) on this project, which it plans to make its next tent-pole franchise, as the Iron Man series is on its way out.
Understandably, the role drew much attention, even from Hollywood heavyweights, and the list of rumored casting possibilities grew larger and longer every week. Names like Johnny Depp, Collin Farrel, Ryan Gosling, Joaquin Phoenix, Jared Leto, Tom Hardy, Keanu Reeves and Benedict Cumberbatch were all attached to the project at one time or another.
Marvel is now in direct negotiations with Cumberbatch, wants to give him the role
Deadline is claiming today that the role has finally gone out to everyone's favorite British actor, Benedict Cumberbatch, who not only makes a mean Sherlock Holmes, but also one scary Smaug the Dragon.
The report actually claims that the studio has made up its mind about to whom it will concede the part and that it's about to start negotiations with the actor, who has a lot of other projects on his plate at the moment.
Benedict became a favorite after negotiations with Joaquin Phoenix went sour
It turns out that negotiations with Joaquin Phoenix reached an impasse and that's why the studio execs have turned their attention to Cumby, who will now have to make a decision if he accepts the offer or not.
At the moment, chances that he will say yes to the project are rather high, since he was never known to turn down big Hollywood projects in favor of indie projects. Besides, he has already done his artsy flick this year, in the form of the biopic “The Imitation Game,” in which he plays the role of genius mathematician Alan Turing, which is already generating Oscar buzz.
The “Doctor Strange” project is already far ahead in the preparation process, with a director already being attached to it, Scott Derrickson to be more precise, and even a scribe of the script, who is working on a second version, after the first draft was dropped.
“Doctor Strange” is one of the more magical characters in the Marvel universe and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in the early 1960s, viewed as the golden age of comics. He is a neurosurgeon who ends up becoming Sorcerer Supreme and the protector of Earth against magical and mystical threats.
The studio has announced that this movie is going to open a whole new part of their superhero universe to the viewing public, filled with magic, that will hopefully lead to more character adaptations for the big screen tying into it as soon as Marvel is ready.