Doctor Strange (2016 film)


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Doctor Strange
Directed byScott Derrickson
Screenplay byJon Spaihts
Produced byKevin Feige
StarringBenedict Cumberbatch

Production
company

Distributed byWalt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures

Release date

  • November 4, 2016 (North America)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Doctor Strange is an upcoming American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character of the same name, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is intended to be the fourteenth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film is to be directed by Scott Derrickson with a screenplay by Jon Spaihts, and stars Benedict Cumberbatch.

Various incarnations of a Doctor Strange film have been in development since the mid-1980s until Paramount Pictures acquired the film rights in April 2005 on behalf of Marvel Studios. Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer were brought on board in June 2010 to write a screenplay. In June 2014, Derrickson was hired to direct the film. Casting began in December 2014 with the recruitment of Cumberbatch to play Doctor Strange and at the same time, Spaihts was confirmed to rewrite the script. Filming is scheduled to begin in May 2015, and release is set for November 4, 2016 in North America.

Cast

Production

Development

I think when you consider the work that I've done it makes sense that he'd be my favorite comic book character, at least in the Marvel universe. Probably the only comic character in that mainstream world that I'm suited to. I feel such an affinity for the character and the story and the ambition of those comics, especially the original Stan Lee and Steve Ditko Strange Tales – I think those are my favorite of all of them. The entire history of the comics is extraordinary.

–Scott Derrickson, director of Doctor Strange[2]

Doctor Strange was initially listed as being in pre-production in 1986, with a script by Bob Gale.[3] For unknown reasons Gale's film never went further into production,[4] and by 1989, Alex Cox had co-written a script with Stan Lee. The script had Doctor Strange traveling to the Fourth Dimension, before ending up on Easter Island, where he would face Dormammu. Cox and Lee's script was almost made by Regency, but at the time, Regency Films were distributed by Warner Bros., who was in a dispute with Marvel over merchandising, so the film did not proceed further.[5] By December 1992, Wes Craven signed to write and direct, with Savoy Pictures distributing,[6] and a release set for either 1994 or 1995.[7] David S. Goyer had completed a script in 1995 for the film.[8] By April 1997, Columbia Pictures had purchased the film rights and Jeff Welch was working on a new screenplay, with Bernie Brillstein and Brad Grey producing.[9]

By April 2000, Columbia dropped Doctor Strange, which then had Michael France attached to write a script and interest from Chuck Russell and Stephen Norrington to direct.[10] By June 2001, Dimension Films acquired the film rights, with Goyer back on board as writer and director. Goyer hinted scheduling conflicts might ensue with a film adaptation of Murder Mysteries,[11] and promised not to be highly dependent on computer-generated imagery.[8] However, by August 2001, Miramax Films acquired the film rights from Dimension,[12] and by March 2002, Goyer had dropped out of the project.[13]

A 2005 release date was announced in March 2003,[14] while in June 2004, a script still had yet to be written, Marvel Studios CEO Avi Arad stating, "We are nowhere with that. That's a tough one to write, but we are working on it. We are trying to find the real Jerry Garcia of the writing community."[15] In April 2005, Paramount Pictures acquired Doctor Strange from Miramax, as part of Marvel Studios' attempt to independently produce their own films. At the time, the film was projected to have a budget of no more than $165 million.[16]

In March 2009, Marvel hired writers to help come up with creative ways to launch its lesser-known properties, such as Black Panther, Cable, Doctor Strange, Iron Fist, Nighthawk and Vision.[17] In June 2010, Marvel Studios hired Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer to write Doctor Strange.[18] While promoting for Transformers: Dark of the Moon in April 2011, actor Patrick Dempsey indicated he was lobbying to play the title character.[19] In January 2013, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed that Doctor Strange would appear in some capacity as part of "Phase Three" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.[20] In May 2013, Feige stated that a Doctor Strange feature film is in development at Marvel Studios,[21][22] and reiterated this in November.[23]

In February 2014, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Marvel was considering Mark Andrews, Jonathan Levine, Nikolaj Arcel and Dean Israelite to direct the film, and was considering Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger to rewrite the film's script.[24] Feige confirmed that Marvel was considering prospective candidates, but stated "That [The Hollywood Reporter] article was not true about who we're meeting or what level anybody is."[25]

By March 2014, the list of directors that Marvel was considering was shortened to Andrews, Levine and Scott Derrickson.[26] Also in March, Feige described how magic would be represented in the film saying, "You don't get into it in Harry Potter, but if a scientist went to Hogwarts he'd find out how some of that stuff is happening! We're not going to spend a lot of time on that, but there will be some of that. And particularly for a character like Strange, who goes from a man of science to a man of faith and who traverses both worlds." Feige added that "Doctor Strange needs to be a Ditko/Kubrick/Miyazaki/The Matrix mind-trip."[27] In April 2014, Feige stated that Doctor Strange would be the "doorway" into the supernatural side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.[28] Feige expanded on this in July 2014, saying, "Now, what is the definition of “supernatural”? It varies. We like the idea of playing with alternate dimensions. [Doctor] Strange, in a very [Steve] Ditko, crazy astro-trip way, traveling through dimensions and traveling through other realms is something we think is very cool. And playing with perceptions of reality... We’re [also] going to play a lot with the notion of [physics and quantum mechanics] as an explanation for how the sorcerers do what they do."[29]

Pre-production

In June 2014, Derrickson was chosen to direct the film.[30] By mid-June, Marvel had been looking at Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch as leads in the film,[31] Jon Spaihts entered negotiations to rewrite the script, and Jared Leto was also being considered for the titular role.[32] Also in June, Feige confirmed the hiring of Derrickson, mentioned that the studio was about to hire a writer to redo a draft, and stated that casting would begin in July or August. Feige also added that production was expected to begin in early 2015 and said, "Strange is very, very important, not just because it's an amazing character study, and a journey of a man who's gone from this very arrogant surgeon to somebody who is quite zen and literally keeps all of reality together on a daily basis, but it also is going to open up a whole other side of storytelling for our movies."[33] Later in the month, Édgar Ramírez, who worked with Derrickson in 2014's Deliver Us from Evil, stated that he has had conversations with the director about a role in Doctor Strange.[34] On July 21, Feige stated that the announcement of the lead role would happen "relatively quickly".[35] At the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International, Cumberbatch stated that it would have been impossible for him to accept the role due to his theater commitments playing Hamlet at the Barbican Theatre in London which would have clashed with the proposed shooting date for the film.[36][37] By the end of July, Joaquin Phoenix entered talks to play Doctor Strange,[38][39] but negotiations ended in October 2014.[40]

By September 2014, Marvel Studios was in negotiations to shoot Doctor Strange at Pinewood-Shepperton in the UK, with crews being assembled for a move into Shepperton Studios in late 2014/early 2015. Filming is scheduled to begin in May 2015.[41] In October, Marvel put Leto, Ethan Hawke, Oscar Isaac, Ewan McGregor, Matthew McConaughey, Jake Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell, and Keanu Reeves on their shortlist for Doctor Strange,[42][43] and had discussions with Ryan Gosling as well.[44] However, Reeves stated he had not been approached about the role.[45] By the end of the month with Cumberbatch's initial scheduling conflict resolved,[46] the actor entered negotiations to play Doctor Strange,[47] and in December 2014 he was officially cast in the role, while Spaihts was confirmed to be writing the screenplay.[1]

Release

Doctor Strange is scheduled to be released on October 28, 2016 in the United Kingdom[48] and November 4, 2016 in North America.[49] It was previously believed to have been scheduled for a July 8, 2016 release.[50]

References

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