Could Doctor Who and its signature TARDIS get a fresh coat of paint? If rumors are accurate, we could see the long-running BBC series entering a whole new era.
According to The Mirror, Doctor Who will look to revamp its 14th series. An insider close to the production notes that “the vision is that the show can be a Marvel-like product, building franchises around the Doctor and other key characters in his many lives.”
As part of this Doctor Who rebuilding, Russell T. Davies is already returning to the series for its 60th anniversary year in 2023. Davies is responsible for rebooting the series in 2005 before leaving in 2009, with Steven Moffat and then Chris Chibnall succeeding him as showrunner.
In the most shocking part of the story, the insiders note that BBC and Davies want to bring in Hugh Grant to Doctor Who. Grant would reportedly star as the legendary Time Lord, following Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor. The reports say that the production feels like Grant could “bring a fresh feel” to the role. They added: “He offers many attributes – great actor, British, award-winning, Hollywood A-lister and excellent at comedy. Conversations are in progress.”
Grant played a version of the Twelfth Doctor for a 1999 Comic Relief special written by Steven Moffat. The report says that Davies offered him the lead role five years later prior to Christopher Eccleston’s casting as the Ninth Doctor, and Grant would admit in 2007 that he regretted not accepting.
UPDATE: It seems that The Mirror’s report may be inaccurate, with Grant taking to Twitter to dismiss the rumour:
SEE ALSO: The Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors join Big Chief Studios’ Doctor Who Definitive Series
Nothing against Dr W but I’m not. No idea where the story came from. https://t.co/g1PG4VsqYN
— Hugh Grant (@HackedOffHugh) March 21, 2022
What do you make of the reports? Would you like to see Hugh Grant leading a Marvel-style Doctor Who? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Originally published March 21, 2022. Updated March 22, 2022.
