doctor strange

Benedict Cumberbatch is on the cover of Entertainment Weekly in full Doctor Strange glory. Cumberbatch promises a fun romp for the film, which he describes as having lots of "falling, flying, jumping, fighting, punching, getting punched. It’s really rough and tumble."



EW also revealed that Mads Mikkelson's role in the film is that of an antagonistic sorcerer fighting against Strange and The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton). They are however, doing their best to keep his name a secret.

Not sure if Derrickson's going with the classic Into Shamballa storyline from J.M. DeMatteis and Dan Green, or if he's just interested in the visual ambience of the piece, but either way it's a good sign.

There are reports saying that Joaquin Phoenix of The Gladiator, and going crazy on David Letterman fame "has had discussions" with Marvel and director, Scott Derrickson about playing Doctor Strange in The Marvel MCU. Hopefully we'll find out more at Comic-Con during Marvel's panel tomorrow.

...With a pretty strong exception. The Song of Ice and Fire author has always been a Marvel nerd, and recently told MTV Geek that he would love to write Doctor Strange comics -- but it can't be rebooted or retconned.

I would have to have my lawyers to meet with Marvel's lawyers and work out an absolutely iron-clad contract that would say whatever I did in the story would continue to be canon forever, and would never be retconned, rebooted or reimagined out of the universe when some later writer decided to mess around with it. Because I hate that, I hate — I've always hated reboots and retcons and the fact that a writer comes in and undoes what a previous writer did and, y'know, brings dead characters back to life, kills new characters that weren't intended to die. That's the one thing I don't like about comics. That drives me crazy.

So what do you think? Is it worth it?

The cast to Marvel's next new super hero franchise is getting bigger and better. Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Tilda Swinton are already confirmed to star in Marvel's psychadelic, magical movie, Doctor Strange. Now, confirming her casting as the female lead, True Detective star, Rachel McAdams will head to the Scott Derrickson project.

While we still don't know who she'll play, the most likely candidates are Clea, a mystical ruler of a parallel dimension:



Or Morgana Blessing, author and occasional subject of possession by the Sorcerer Supreme:



Both are potential love interests and/or antagonists to Benedict Cumberbatch's former surgeon turned super Sorcerer. 

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:

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