"The only actor we seriously considered" was actor Benedict Cumberbatch says DOCTOR STRANGE director Scott Derrickson. According to a report from Empire Magazine, actors Joaquin Phoenix, Jared Leto and Ryan Gosling were also in the running for the lead role in Marvel's DOCTOR STRANGE had Marvel not fallen in love with Cumberbatch.
Think about it... you could have seen Phoenix, Leto or Gosling as Dr. Stephen Strange because one of them would have been cast due to Cumberbatch's busy filming schedule. However, none really had a chance since Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige and Derrickson only wanted Cumberbatch for the role so much so the movie release date was pushed back to accommodate his schedule. The actor was so touched by the gesture he signed on to honor their faith in him as Dr. Stephen Strange.
As the DailySuperHero.com previously reported back in January 2015, DOCTOR STRANGE was pushed back to November from its original summer 2016 release date due to Benedict Cumberbatch's schedule. Nice to see Empire confirming this in their report.
DOCTOR STRANGE releases in the states on November 4.
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