'I think he was opening his mind to the possibility. I think he was investigating the possibility,' Derrickson says.
In 2014, Joaquin Phoenix had a brief spell as the frontrunner for Marvel Studios' Doctor Strange . Years before he was cast as the proto-Batman villain in DC's Joker , the actor known for less-commercial fare like Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master, Inherent Vice, and Spike Jonze's Her was reported to be in talks to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as surgeon-turned-sorcerer Stephen Strange.
"I spent some time with him. I spent a couple of long afternoons with him and really was really impressed with him personally and his thought process. This is what I'll say: I think he was giving, I think he was opening his mind to the possibility. I think he was investigating the possibility," one-time Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson told /Film."What happened, just to be clear, we offered the movie to Benedict. I wanted Benedict. That was my choice for the role.
Both Phoenix and Cumberbatch were on a list of reported contenders that included Ryan Gosling , Jared Leto , Tom Hardy , Justin Theroux , Keanu Reeves , and Derrickson's Sinister star Ethan Hawke. Derrickson added that the potential franchise starter didn't have a script to present to Phoenix, an actor not known for signing onto franchise movies. Ultimately, Disney delaying Doctor Strange from its original July 8, 2016, release date to November that year enabled Cumberbatch to fulfill his stage commitments and then don the cloak and Eye of Agamotto.
Benedict Cumberbatch Joaquin Phoenix Scott Derrickson Joaquin Phoenix Doctor Strange Joaquin Phoenix Mcu Scott Derrickson Doctor Strange
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