doctor strange

As if we needed another reason to get excited for Doctor Strange! During his interview with Empire, Benedict said “Some bits made me think, 'Wow. God. That’s what I’m part of.'"

He continued saying, “You have conceptual art that they show you, but you only really realise what you’re part of at the end of the process,” he said. “That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the effects while we were shooting, because a lot of them were real elements, whether it was sets that make a room miniscule, or the costume designs.”

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:

He may not be the Doctor we asked for, but he is the Doctor we deserve

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?" 

Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave) will take on Benedict Cumberbatch in a sorcerer's duel next November in Marvel's next comic to movie property, Doctor Strange. Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch) is a former surgeon, who after a serious injury to his hands, discovers a secret world of arcane arts and demons. Ejiofor will play Baron Mordo, his rival and former student of The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) who seeks power over all else.

Much like last year's Guardians of the Galaxy, Strange will open up Marvel's movie universe to a new realm. While Guardians showed audiences the galactic side to Marvel, Strange will introduce the magical/supernatural aspects. Hopefully, there's room for Blade or Ghost Rider in the near future.

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