Anghus Houvouras asks who should take on Marvel’s Doctor Strange…
The latest rumors about Marvel’s big budget Doctor Strange adaptation have hit the interwebs involving mega-star Johnny Depp as the Sorcerer Supreme. It’s an inspired bit of speculation and it got the wheels a turning. Is Johnny Depp the best choice for the dark, brooding mystic master of Marvel? He’s certainly got the chops as an actor, but it seems kind of odd given his penchant for over the top characters and relentless mugging. Would Depp be a more restrained Doctor Stephen Strange, or would they rewrite the character to work more for his over the top sensibilities?
If history is any indicator, it feels like it would be the latter. Might as well sign Tim Burton, slap a “3-D” on the end of the title, and make some space in the Disney vault for the untold billion it could potentially reap. However, maybe there’s a better potential adaptation that could be produced. I’ve got some suggestions.
The inspired route:
Doctor Strange
Directed by Spike Jonze
Starring Joquain Phoenix
Having just seen the fantastic Her, this pairing seems rather timely, and if I may say so, inspired. Jonze is a director who does weird extremely well. Imagine the guy behind Being John Malkovich and Where the Wild Things Are weaving the story of a dark and broken man’s descent into the world of Marvel magic. If you really want the lead character to live up to name, cast Joquain Phoenix and bring in a talented actor into a role that would benefit from his eccentricities.
The quirky route:
The Sorcerer Supreme
Directed by Terry Gilliam
Starring Johnny Depp
If we’re going for Depp in the lead role, let’s embrace a director who could truly make the otherworldly elements pop. I’m talking about Terry Gilliam. He’s wonderfully left of center, and there’s an outside chance he craters the whole thing in an epic fireball of fuselage. The behind the scenes making of documentary could easily eclipse the finished film in terms of entertainment value. In all seriousness, Gilliam has that kind of eye-popping, mind bending style that would lend itself well to the magical places that Doctor Strange has to travel. With Depp in the lead role and Gilliam behind the camera, we could get a gonzo version of the character that feels removed form reality. A Doctor Strange film that feels like Time Bandits, Brazil, or the Adventures of Baron Munchausen.
Wouldn’t that be fun?
The “it doesn’t make sense, but roll with me” route:
Strange
Directed by Paul Greengrass
Starring Gael Garcia Bernal
The greatest missed opportunity of the last decade was Paul Greengrass not directing Watchmen. An extremely talented director with a unique style and sensibility that you wouldn’t necessarily associate with a comic book movie. It’s a project that might feel outside his particular wheelhouse, but I’m very interested to see what this guy can do with a comic book property. The fact that this movie is so far outside the real life, pulse pounding thrillers he has become associated with is just another reason to give him a world like this to play in.
The obvious route:
Marvel’s Doctor Strange
Directed by Gulliermo del Toro
Starring Idris Elba
When you hear people talk about Doctor Strange, this is the filmmaker you are most likely to hear brought into discussions. But it’s so painfully obvious. We’ve seen Del Toro stomping around this territory before. Movies like Pan’s Labyrinth and the Hellboy Uno and Dos have proven that he’s capable of working with the weird and otherworldly, but i feel like I already know what kind of movie I’d be walking into. Would Del Toro deliver us anything we haven’t already seen? If he was the choice, could we at least get a curve ball in the casting and bring someone like Idris Elba into the mix? Sure, he played Heimdall in Thor, but I’d be more than game for Elba as the brooding Sorcerer Supreme.
So there is some grade A speculation about Doctor Strange. All of them would be interesting choices for one of comic’s most dynamic characters. Wait a second. I forgot, this is a Marvel movie which means they’re going to bring in a director without a strong personal brand who knows how to color within their we’ll established lines. Which means it’ll probably be somebody who has directed a few episodes of Supernatural or Once Upon A Time and will be sure to tow the company line.
Still, one can hope.
Who would you like to see directing and starring in Marvel’s Doctor Strange? Let us know in the comments below…
Anghus Houvouras is a North Carolina based writer and filmmaker. His latest work, the novel My Career Suicide Note, is available from Amazon.
Originally published January 15, 2014. Updated April 11, 2018.
