Johnny Depp might be a mystical man, but he’s not the master of the mystic arts.
The “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor was recently rumored as Marvel’s choice to star in “Doctor Strange,” the story of arrogant surgeon-turned-magical hero Stephen Strange. But in a new interview, Marvel Studios co-president Kevin Feige says the Depp rumor isn’t true, and that any talks with the actor predate Feige’s involvement with the studio.
“There’s a lot of things that have happened before me, and I’ve been here 14 years,” Feige tells IGN. “Strange is one of those projects that predates me by a long shot.”
But “Doctor Strange” is also well known as one of Feige’s favorite projects. The executive has talked about bringing the Sorcerer Supreme to the screen for ages; he once told me that Strange is “definitely” one of the characters being eyed for a possible Phase Three appearance. That sentiment was only reinforced further by a recently reported list of directors who are meeting with Marvel about “Strange.”
“We’re meeting a lot of people now,” Feige confirmed in his new interview. “That article was not true about who we’re meeting or what level anybody is. But we’re actively looking.”
Are Feige and Marvel actively looking to cast Strange, as well? And if so, even with Depp out of the running, is a star of Depp’s caliber a possibility?
“Doctor Strange would be our — well, depending on when we make it, it could be our 13th, 14th, 15th movie,” he says. “I think if you’re looking to track our decision-making and how we’ve done things, we have a pretty wide track record now where you can sort of see. So, no, a movie star is not required, but that doesn’t mean a movie star wouldn’t be great.”
To translate: Marvel might cast a relative unknown, like Chris Hemsworth in “Thor,” or someone on the line, like Chris Evans in “Captain America,” or someone far past the line, like Robert Downey Jr. as “Iron Man.” In other words, the field is wide open — so keep those unknown actor/Jon Hamm/Matthew McConaughey dreams alive.
Who do you want to see as the Sorcerer Supreme?
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