By George Marston
Film news website Deadline is reporting that Disney has hired writers for the long-languishing live action film starring none other than Marvel’s (former) Sorcerer Supreme, Dr. Strange. The team of Thomas Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer has been selected for the script chores. Genre fans will know Donnelly and Oppenheimer for their work on the film adaptations of Cowboys and Aliens, “Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune,” and the upcoming Conan reboot. It is likely that this will be Marvel’s first film released under the Disney banner, as it is not planned for release until after their film deal with Paramount expires.
Get to work on that dream cast, kids!
June 22nd, 2010 at 11:33 am
I can honestly say that I’d hardly be interested in a Dr. Strange film. Personally, I think there’s a lot of better characters out there suited for films. I’d take a film based on an absurd character first, actually. Give me a Deathlok film. Or Darkhawk. Or Sleepwalker. How about Hercules? They’re just more intesting characters to me.
And where’s that Namor film?! That would rock!
June 22nd, 2010 at 11:39 am
Tell you what, you hold your breath for Sleepwalker.
June 22nd, 2010 at 11:43 am
Disney is REALLY pushing that satanic agenda, huh?
June 22nd, 2010 at 11:45 am
A surgeon that looses the use of his hands travels to the himilayas…Let’s start there and venture through a possible “Batman Begins” treatment. Lots of potential there for a film. Franchisable at best (seen any magic oriented movies lately? I think DS could do it better). I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do.
June 22nd, 2010 at 11:46 am
When does the Paramount deal expire?
June 22nd, 2010 at 11:47 am
Viggo Mortensen or Daniel Day Lewis for Stephen.
June 22nd, 2010 at 11:48 am
Gah. Thankfully, I’ll have NOTHING to do with Marvel after the last Dark Tower comic comes out.
I’m *still* waiting for them to change the “Marvel–YOUR Universe” tag to “Marvel–a Disney Universe.”
June 22nd, 2010 at 12:07 pm
Another misuse of the word “literally.” Sigh.
June 22nd, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Finally! I hope that Neil Gaiman writes it, Guillermo Del Toro directs it, and that Liam Neeson plays the good doctor.
June 22nd, 2010 at 12:20 pm
Wouldn’t it essentially be “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”? . . . which is funny, since there’s an ad for that right beside this article. And what is that photo at the top? Was that seriously a movie?
June 22nd, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Yeah, the title made me think they were bringing a stage show to Disney World. Even if it was used properly, why would that statement need the word “literally” in it?
June 22nd, 2010 at 12:28 pm
I thought that the recent FEVER series from Marvel Knights had the best Dr Strange take I’ve seen in along time. Do Dr Strange as ‘Marvel’s Harry Potter’ but set it in the cgi weirdness of the Ditko dimensions. This could be a GREAT new franchise! Tim Burton could do a good job too.
June 22nd, 2010 at 12:48 pm
Jude Law.
June 22nd, 2010 at 12:58 pm
That picture above the article…yes, yes that was a real movie.
June 22nd, 2010 at 1:02 pm
A doctor that looses the use of his safekeeping travels to the himilayas…Let’s commencement there and hazard through a possible “Batman Begins” management. Lots of potentiality there for a film. Franchisable at foremost (seen any performance destined movies lately? I guess DS could do it meliorate). I’m perception gardant to sightedness what they can do.
jhonesmith
June 22nd, 2010 at 1:15 pm
suggestions for Dr. Strange- Nicholas Cage, Adrien Brody..
I don’t know about Wong, but it should not be a stereotyped asian servant..
If Baron Mordo is the villain, get a respected character actor.. gary oldman?
June 22nd, 2010 at 1:36 pm
The Ancient One’s name can be changed to “Yensid” and at some point Dr. Strange can conjure up a bunch of Mindless Ones to help clean up the ancient temple and loses control of them.
I sincerely hope that the writers are respectful to the characters history, Disney doesn’t interfere excessively and I hope I’m proven wrong about the Marvel/Disney merger being a bad thing. And as far as an actor to play Stephen…
Rufus Sewell from ‘Dark City’
June 22nd, 2010 at 1:53 pm
That word, “literally” — I do not think it means what you think it means.
June 22nd, 2010 at 1:53 pm
been waiting for doctor strange to get the movie treatment. as for who should play the good doc would love to see liam Nieson though he would have to do a dye job for his hair and beard. and with special effects being what they are Dormumu would be wicked. along with all the good sorcerer supreme would be allowed to do mystic wise. and then Marvel can follow the avengers path and do the defenders and have the good doc team up with hulk and Namor since that looks to be the only way the fish king will appear on film now.
June 22nd, 2010 at 2:05 pm
I’ll just throw it out there, Hugh Laurie as Dr. Strange.
British? Check
Plays and asshole? Check
Right build? Check
Big name? Check
Can in fact act? Check
I really hope this is continued to be tied into the great marvel movie-verse. Say perhaps Strange was the doctor brought in by Fury to operate on a sedated Banner. Banner awakens, crushes his hands while hulking out, and then you have a great story of a Doctor trying to not only come to grips with his own loss of self, but anger at what was a freak event.
June 22nd, 2010 at 2:13 pm
Personally my all time favorite choice for Dr. Strange would be Oded Fehr. He looks like a living embodiment of Dr. Strange, and would do a terrific job in the role.
June 22nd, 2010 at 2:22 pm
I don’t think Dr. Strange is British.
At all.
June 22nd, 2010 at 2:30 pm
HA. LOVE the 70s! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFCL0eCjnsA
June 22nd, 2010 at 2:49 pm
I’ll second Oded Fehr.
I think a Dr. Strange movie could be one hell of a wild ride if they mix the right cocktail of story/performances/special effects. Basically take all of those Harry Potter fans to school on what a trans-dimensional battle of magic would REALLY look like.
June 22nd, 2010 at 3:14 pm
cgi with an all star cast of voices done under the pixar banner please
June 22nd, 2010 at 3:19 pm
Billy Crudup or Colin Firth
June 22nd, 2010 at 3:32 pm
Yeah, about the use of “literally” in the title: Lan Pitts apparently isn’t very good at making titles for his articles.
That said, I am looking forward to seeing what Marvel does with these short films and who’s gonna be in them (character-wise I mean).
June 22nd, 2010 at 3:50 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAIww1VRY7Y
Literally.
June 22nd, 2010 at 3:53 pm
Don’t blame Lan, blame me. I made the title.
I know it’s not a literal (ha) use of the word “literally,” but I thought it sounded funny. Comedic license, it solves grammatical errors.
June 22nd, 2010 at 5:20 pm
Probably too close to his work in The Illusionist, but I think Edward Norton would be a good match. And I actually quite like the idea of Hugh Laurie in the role. That would be a good match.
Knowing Disney, however, they’re probably going to look for someone younger. Then again Robert Downey Jr. was pushing 40 when they hired him for Iron Man, so there is hope…
June 22nd, 2010 at 8:02 pm
Adrien Brody would definitely make for a great Stephen Strange.
June 22nd, 2010 at 9:34 pm
“In the name of Rial…scourge of demons…I command you…RELEASE ME !!!”
I like this news. Disney will probably take this more seriously than anybody else. Otherwise the best we could have hoped for would be something of the quality of the Blade movies, or maybe a cameo in the Avengers or something.
Johnny Depp would be my fantasy pick, but I doubt they’ll pay that kind of money. Could Strange be interpreted as Eurasian? Maybe somebody like Stephen Chow could play him…
A few years ago, Marvel published a Dr. Strange mini-series that apparently originated as a film proposal. (It’s the one where Stephen becomes a plastic surgeon instead of doing relief work in Tibet.) That would be a good place to start conceiving of this, though I wish they’d run the script by people who actually know something about Tibet and the Himalayas.
The obvious storyline to use would be that original Steve Ditko run that culminated in the kung-fu fight with Dormammu.
June 22nd, 2010 at 11:04 pm
In the year before Tony Stark was cast, I hated every name thrown out by fans and internet rumor, but was happily blindsided by the choice of RDJ to play him. But unlike Stark, Stephen Strange could be played — and played well — by any number of good actors. That’s actually great news! And also unlike the fan-casting of Stark, I’m liking nearly every suggestion I’m hearing from fans. Even actors I don’t normally care for like Depp and Cage could do a fantastic job as Strange. I’d love to see Laurie do it. If he hadn’t just been cast as the Red Skull, I’d throw Hugo Weaving’s name in the pot.
I’m just glad the Doctor is being developed as a movie. It could really be amazingly entertaining if done right.
June 23rd, 2010 at 2:16 am
After how brilliant the seventies made for TV “DR. STRANGE” movie was, I don’t see why we need to do anything else.
Sexy nurses, Peter Hooten with a daring coif, and trippy seventies sci-fi effects, and changing the good doctor from a physician to a psychiatrist? It was awesome.
(I am the only person alive who saw and enjoyed that movie).
June 23rd, 2010 at 6:46 am
This is a case where the grammar hawks are being overly critical. Sure, Doctor Strange isn’t real, so literally can’t come or go anywhere. Sure, “The Magic Kingdom” is a fanciful title, and not the actual name for Disney. (And even if it were, Disney is not a physical location, but a company, that someone can’t literally go to.)
That said, the rights to the “Doctor Strange” comic book property ARE literally coming to “The Magic Kingdom” AKA Disney Studios. Which is sort of what the title says.
Honestly, you’re better off saving your ire for the people who use the word “literally” as a vocal tick. Generally, each individual mis-use can generally be rationalized as a near miss, and you don’t win points for pointing such errors out, any more than you would for criticizing someone slepling mistakes.
June 23rd, 2010 at 7:02 am
Tim — I saw it when it originally aired, but at that time, had never read a Dr. Strange comic book, so had no frame of reference. I thought it was well-done, and as I learned about Doc, I realized that it was largely faithful to the source material (esp. when compared to other comic-to-TV adaptations at the time. I loved the art nouveau house they used for Doc’s sanctum, and Peter Hooten (?) had a great voice for the part. It gave a glimmer of how great a property Dr. Strange could be for adaptation to the screen. Some online folks are saying, “who cares about Strange?” but even a casual fan of the character can recognize that, like Iron Man, even though he’s not a Marvel A-lister, this could be the perfect kind of character for film.
June 23rd, 2010 at 10:29 am
Drew, the problem with your logic is that “the Magic Kingdom” isn’t really a reference to the Disney corperation as a whole, nor to Disney Studios, even. “The Magic Kingdom” specifically is the name of the main amusement park at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Although if Dr. Strange LITERALLY shows up at the Florida amusement park, then it’s fine.
June 23rd, 2010 at 11:32 am
The Eye of Agamotto sees all ! ! !
June 24th, 2010 at 6:18 pm
I should of known someone would bring up the right use of “literally”. Your not all that much better just cause your a big nitpicker. I think its ironic. Its most important whether people understand what I’m saying… as far as I’m concerned, if they do understand, than I speak English good and the point is mute. Does it really effect you that much that you have to be such a perfectionist? I literally could care less.
June 25th, 2010 at 3:56 am
I didn’t understand the headline. I thought it meant a Dr. Strange ride was coming to DisneyWorld.
After reading the article, I see that isn’t the case… and I still don’t understand the headline..
August 2nd, 2011 at 6:07 am
I’d forever want to be update on new blog posts on this website , saved to my bookmarks ! .