Fifteen years ago, if you were to ask most people to name famous Marvel Comics characters, most would say Spider-Man and the Hulk, and some might know all the members of the Fantastic Four. Thanks to the Marvel movies, characters of the Avengers and the X-Men are now household names, and now Marvel is adapting one of its oldest intellectual properties with Doctor Strange, starring the Oscar-Award winning Benedict Cumberbatch. This is what is known about the Cast and Release Date of this magical and mystical film.
Doctor Strange is probably not a name that most people even know, but he is a character that has been around for over fifty years. He was created in the Marvel golden age, back when ideas like Spider-man, the Hulk, and Fantastic Four began. Doctor Stephen Strange was a surgeon who eventually discovered the power of magic thanks to The Ancient One, and has devoted his mystical powers for good.
Cumberbatch made the cover of Entertainment Weekly dressed as the Doctor Strange, complete with the red cloak, blue shirt, and the proper facial hair from his comic book inspiration. This is pretty true to his look in the comic, as certain superhero costumes don't transition well into film.
The film focuses on Dr. Strange after this brilliant surgeon's hands are injured in a car accident. He then seeks healing for them and discovers The Ancient One on his journeys. The Ancient One is male in the comics, but she will be played by actress Tilda Swinton in the movie. In the process, Dr. Strange meets Baron Mordo, another apprentice of The Ancient One. In the comics, Baron Mordo is Caucasian, but he is played by black actor Chiwetel Ejiofor in the film.
Also, in the movie are Rachel McAdams and Mads Mikkelsen, but their character names are not listed on the movie's IMDB page. McAdams could play any one of Dr. Strange's paramours as he has had many in the comic. The most famous would be Clea, and she married Dr. Strange in the comic.
As for Mads Mikkelsen, he will probably be playing Dormammu, aka the Dread Dormammu. Dormammu is considered to be Dr. Strange's greatest enemy and is most famous for having his head trapped in perpetual flame. This is an effect that could be done with Computer Generated technology.
Even though Marvel is always producing hits with movies based on its intellectual property, Dr. Strange is quite a risk. Dr. Strange is one of those heroes with a very rich mythology, as Stephen Strange is not the first to take the mantle of the Sorcerer Supreme. It is somewhat similar to the mythos around the Green Lantern, which did not translate well into film.
Still, the film has Benedict Cumberbatch in it, which is a plus in its favor. Cumberbatch has wowed audiences with the title role of Sherlock, and he could also wow audiences like Robert Downey Jr. when he first became Iron Man. We will have to wait for less than a year to see the results as Doctor Strange is set to hit theaters on November 4, 2016.
