'Doctor Strange' News: Joaquin Phoenix Will Not Be Playing Marvel Character
Joaquin Phoenix has dropped out of playing the titular role in "Doctor Strange," according to reports. Details of his refusal to play the role have not been disclosed, but there are speculations that the Oscar nominee was not comfortable with a longterm Marvel contract and acting in a CGI-heavy production.
Right now, rumors are sparking about several contenders who Marvel will approach to play Doctor Strange. Though Ethan Hawke was rumored to be first in the running for the role, Deadline says not to put too much stock into the rumor about Hawke wanting the role, despite the fact that he has worked with "Doctor Strange" director Scott Derrickson on the horror movie "Sinister."
Other actors who are reportedly being considered are Tom Hardy (The Drop, The Dark Knight Rises), Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, and soon to star in The Imitation Game), and Jared Leto (Dallas Buyer's Club, Requiem for a Dream).
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"Doctor Strange" is part of Marvel's "Phase Three" which will see other Marvel characters getting a standalone movie such as Ant-man and Luke Cage. According to Digital Trends, the success of "Guardians of the Galaxy" has made the studio confident that they can generate great box office earnings for movies with lesser-known characters.
The film will be helmed by Derrickson and has Jon Spaights to pen the script, with the first draft written by Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer.
"Doctor Strange" was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko during the early 1960s. The character is a neurosurgeon who becomes the cloaked Sorcerer Supreme, and he protects earth with his powers of sorcery, mysticism, and martial arts.
"Doctor Strange" is slated for release on July 8, 2016.
