DOCTOR STRANGE: Ewan McGregor, Oscar Isaac & Jake Gyllenhaal Added to Marvel Studios' Leading Actor Hunt
Marvel Studios is hard at work hunting for their leading actor in Doctor Strange. In the meantime, director Scott Derrickson and writer Jon Spaihts are writing and developing the film for an alleged filming start date in spring/summer 2015. Marvel won't confirm this production start date or the official release date until they have a leading actor in place.
Joaquin Phoenix was on the verge of becoming Doctor Strange but a fallout occurred in the 11th hour. It may have been due to the contract length, or the money, or the green screen work or a mixture of all of it. Since Phoenix dropped out, a few new names have been thrown around including Ethan Hawke and Keanu Reeves. Hawke was initially reported as being more wild fan-casting speculation than fact but sometimes a wild online rumor can catch some buzz and become truth, which seems to be the case with Hawke. And Reeves has recently become a very big fan-casting favorite for the role. (Think about it, Reeves' quiet demeanor and acting tone could be a really good fit for a sorcerer who says some weird phrasing and needs to deal with supernatural elements.)
A few new names have allegedly appeared on Marvel Studios' want list for the Doctor. One is very comfortable working with green screen because it is none other than Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, actor Ewan McGregor. The others are Oscar Isaac and Jake Gyllenhaal.
According to BadassDigest.com, McGregor has been doing some due diligence and research on Doctor Strange and is potentially setting himself up to be the leading candidate for the role. According to Variety the updated actor list includes: McGregor, Jared Leto, Isaac, Matthew McConaughey, Gyllenhaal and Hawke.
Let me share my opinion on each of these actor choices. Personally, I'd have to say that Leto could bring a new and unique version which could be great for the big screen but he'd have to cut his hair and that's sacrilege for most rock stars. McGregor could be good but I'd rather have him reprise his role as Kenobi in a hopeful Star Wars spin-off solo movie, plus I might not be able to get around the fact of Obi-Wan as Doctor Strange. Isaac is an interesting choice if Marvel wants to bring in some more diversity into their films — although he's currently involved in a little mega-franchise called Star Wars — and Marvel should consider being a bit more diverse with leading actors sooner than later. Hawke is a 'meh' for me but the wild card is McConaughey, who could be the best Doctor Strange of all of these actors. However, McConaughey's star power is rising fast over the past year-plus so he may not want such a large commitment to a long term role like Doctor Strange.
Who do you think would make the best Doctor Strange? Comment below!
Related Posts: DOCTOR STRANGE: Many Fans Are Casting Keanu Reeves as the Doctor But He is Quite Unfamiliar With the Character
DOCTOR STRANGE Director Scott Derrickson Sets Up Shop on the Disney Lot For Pre-Production Work
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