Marvel's 'Doctor Strange' begins filming, reveals list of main cast
Marvel unveils the filming locations of "Doctor Strange" and drops more casting news sans specific roles. CNET's Bonnie Burton knows who she hopes Rachel McAdams and Mads Mikkelsen are playing.
Marvel has begun production on "Doctor Strange," starring Benedict Cumberbatch of "Sherlock" fame.
The film will be shot in several locations, including London, New York, Hong Kong and Kathmandu, Nepal, Marvel said in its announcement earlier this week.
Cumberbatch plays Dr. Stephen Strange who, after a tragic car accident, discovers the hidden world of alternate dimensions and magic.
If Marvel stays true to the story originally created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in the Silver Age of comics, we could end up seeing Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange portrayed as the Sorcerer Supreme, protecting humanity from magical threats.
Marvel released a list of the other main cast members without specifying roles. The cast includes Chiwetel Ejiofor ("Serenity"), Rachel McAdams ("Sherlock Holmes"), Michael Stuhlbarg ("Steve Jobs"), Mads Mikkelsen ("Hannibal") and Tilda Swinton ("The Grand Budapest Hotel").
Disney confirmed in August that Swinton is playing Doctor Strange's mentor, the Ancient One, a character whose gender may be swapped from male to female for the film. Disney also said that Ejiofor, who worked previously with Cumberbatch on "12 Years a Slave," will play Karl Mordo, a magically gifted nemesis of Doctor Strange.
Dormammu, the fiery ruler of the Dark Dimension, is one of many great enemies of Doctor Strange in the comics. But will he make it to the big screen?
We'll have to wait longer to officially find out which characters McAdams, Mikkelsen and Stuhlbarg are slated to play. Of course, that doesn't stop fans (myself included) from speculating which characters are suited for the actors involved.
Personally, I'd like to see McAdams end up playing Doctor Strange's love interest and fellow mystical arts superhero, Clea. Then again, it could also be fun to see McAdams play occult expert and author Morgana Blessing on the big screen, especially since Doctor Strange studies her books to better understand his magical abilities.
Mikkelsen's role is also heavily shrouded in mystery. But if McAdams is playing Clea, chances are he'll be cast as Dormammu, Clea's uncle and one of Doctor Strange's most powerful enemies. After all, he is the ruler of the Dark Dimension.
Though it might be fun to watch Mikkelsen play the evil Nightmare, a demon who likes to torture his victims in the dream dimension as they sleep.
According to Variety, Stuhlbarg may be portraying Nicodemus West. West is a rival scientist of Strange who also studied mystical arts with the Ancient One.
The movie, which will be directed by Scott Derrickson ("Sinister") is slated to hit theaters November 4, 2016.
Be sure to follow Derrickson on Twitter. He often posts Marvel comic book art as well as fan art of "Doctor Strange," which makes for fun speculation of how Cumberbatch will look when the dust settles.