doctor strange

Let's hope Doctor Strange is a quick learner...

George Takei initially picked apart Marvel for what he claims was blatant backpedaling on their part, when Marvel blamed the casting selection on the Chinese market as their reason for avoiding being associated with Tibet.



Then in the comments section Takei went off on what he views as a deep-seeded systematic problem of casting actors in movies for Asian roles.

"To those who say, "She an actress, this is fiction," remember that Hollywood has been casting white actors in Asian roles for decades now, and we can't keep pretending there isn't something deeper at work here. If it were true that actors of Asian descent were being offered choice roles in films, these arguments might prevail. But there has been a long standing practice of taking roles that were originally Asian and rewriting them for white actors to play, leaving Asians invisible on the screen and underemployed as actors. This is a very real problem, not an abstract one. It is not about political correctness, it is about correcting systemic exclusion. Do you see the difference?" 

Marvel provided the following statement to Mashable in response to the heated speculation over potential whitewashing of Tilda Swinton's 'The Ancient One' character in Doctor Strange:

"Marvel has a very strong record of diversity in its casting of films and regularly departs from stereotypes and source material to bring its MCU to life. The Ancient One is a title that is not exclusively held by any one character, but rather a moniker passed down through time, and in this particular film the embodiment is Celtic. We are very proud to have the enormously talented Tilda Swinton portray this unique and complex character alongside our richly diverse cast."

Doctor Strange screenwriter C. Robert Cargill provided the following reasoning for his changing of the character for the film:

"He originates from Tibet, so if you acknowledge that Tibet is a place and that he's Tibetan, you risk alienating one billion people who think that that’s bullshit and risk the Chinese government going, 'Hey, you know one of the biggest film-watching countries in the world? We’re not going to show your movie because you decided to get political,'" said Cargill. "If we decide to go the other way and cater to China in particular and have him be in Tibet… if you think it’s a good idea to cast a Chinese actress as a Tibetan character, you are out of your damn fool mind and have no idea what the f*ck you’re talking about."

What do you make of all this?

And of course the trailer, in case you need a refresh on that Doctor Strange hype:

Is that an American accent on Cumberbatch?

Doctor Stephen Strange is set to cross dimensions and hit theaters November 4, 2016. 

This new poster to tie us over in the meanwhile...

Doesn't get much better than this. And the faith in Cumberbatch being able to do this role justice definitely went up a little, now that we know he's at least read one comic book. Indeed, it turns out Cumberbatch's ideal way to commemorate being done shooting 'Doctor Strange' was to pit stop at a local comic book shop fully attired as Stephen Strange. A picture of Cumberbatch with the owner of JHU Comic Books, Rene Rosa:



And of course the obligatory, shameless Stephen Strange selfie moment:

Just a few hours ago Mikkelsen uploaded this picture while on the set of Doctor Strange. Suffice to say, the guy has clearly seen some sh*t. Those tortured eyes speak to some tough times, tough times indeed. Speculation's already runnin' wild over who Mikkelsen might be playing in the movie. Already with his character being described as an ancient sorcerer fresh on the lam from the Ancient One, and busy starting up his own sect, I'd have wagered a guess on Baron Mordo; but Chiwetel Ejiofor's already playing Mordo. 

So, perhaps Dorammu? Or one of Doctor Strange's many magically gifted, demonic foes?