EXCLUSIVE: Marvel Eyeing JOHNNY DEPP For ‘Dr. Strange’
Hey all,
Those of you that follow me on Twitter (@LatinoReviewMFR) know that I’ve been teasing all night about a scoop regarding Marvel. Well, it’s now time to open up the bag and show you all my first big kill:
A well-connected source informed me tonight that Johnny Depp has taken a meeting with Marvel to discuss taking on the role of Dr. Strange.
The 50-year-old actor is a comic book fan, and is said to be very interested in jumping onto the Marvel machine. Johnny Depp also happens to have a very fruitful relationship with Marvel’s owner, Disney. It was the mouse house, after all, that took a gamble when it gave the eccentric actor his first leading role in a summer tentpole, Pirates of The Caribbean, and that franchise went on to earn billions (yes, with a “b”) for the studio. He also made them a mint with their live-action Alice in Wonderland film.
While they have Depp on the hook for another Pirates film, it is believed they would shift that production around if he does agree to sign on the dotted line for Marvel.
As you can tell, Marvel is in the megastar business and, despite Lone Ranger, Depp is still one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. He’s a household name that’s known by kids, teens, and their parents. On Monday, it was announced that Hollywood royalty Michael Douglas was cast as Hank Pym in Ant-Man, and- assuming they can work out the details- an announcement about Depp could be forthcoming.
Of note, if Johnny Depp does decide to don the cape, it would involve a bit of a script overhaul. I spoke to El Mayimbe, and he was quick to note that the original script had a 30-year-old Dr. Strange. He has an intimate knowledge of the script (you can check out his in-depth analysis HERE and HERE), but he agrees with me that Marvel wouldn’t hesitate to alter things if it meant signing a star on the level of Johnny Depp.
Dr Strange
To be clear, this would have no bearing on Marvel’s Phase 2 plans, or The Avengers: Age of Ultron. This is strictly Phase 3 stuff, with Marvel initially eyeing 2016 as the year to unleash Dr. Strange on mainstream audiences. So if it happens, the soonest we’d likely see Depp is in a post-credits sequence in Ultron.
Also thought I’d mention that my source, when it was mentioned how Depp has been a fanboy casting favorite for Strange for quite some time, implied that that may be one of the elements that brought the two sides together.
As always, though, let me remind you that this is Hollywood. Plans change. Offers expire. Negotiations stall. So while Depp has met with Marvel, and both sides want this to work, it doesn’t mean it will.
Keep an eye on this space as I get my hands on more details, and let’s see if these two giants of the industry actually come to terms and make a deal, or if it falls apart in a back room somewhere.
I would be happy with this decision. I think it would be a great opportunity for Depp to give a brand new memorable performance. I actually thought most of what he did in Alice was fantastic.
I would be happy with this decision. I think it would be a great opportunity for Depp to give a brand new memorable performance. I actually thought most of what he did in Alice was fantastic.
Even in bad movies (and he's made a few), Depp is always good.
I guess I can see why they would do this. Cast a big name actor for a semi-obscure (at least to mainstream audiences) comic book character in order to make him seem important. As long as Depp can stay away from the Kubuki make-up this could work out.
I want it to happen because I think it would give Depp a chance to act again outside of the quirky, slapstick roles he's gotten himself into. He's a great actor when he's given the chance. So I say go for it, and let him break out his mold.
I want it to happen because I think it would give Depp a chance to act again outside of the quirky, slapstick roles he's gotten himself into. He's a great actor when he's given the chance. So I say go for it, and let him break out his mold.
Exactly! I don't see him doing this as Doctor Sparrow. He is really good at finding depth in characters and taking them where they need to go.
Confirmed: Marvel Courts Johnny Depp For ‘Doctor Strange’
It was only a matter of time before Marvel Studios started courting Johnny Depp to play one of its superheroes.
The Mouse House’s main man is in early discussions with Marvel to take on the role of eccentric magician Steven Strange in “Doctor Strange,” which the company has long been developing as a solo pic to join the ranks of its “Iron Man,” “Thor” and “Captain America” franchises. “Ant-Man” is another character it hopes to launch in 2015 as a standalone franchise around one of the comicbook company’s heroes.
As was first reported by Latino Review, Depp could take on the role of the Master of the Mystic Arts, a former neurosurgeon who becomes the next Sorcerer Supreme and primary protector of Earth against magical and mystical threats. Marvel Comics vets Stan Lee and Steve Ditko co-created the character in 1963. It would surely be a showy role that Depp could disappear into and make his own like he did with “Pirates of the Caribbean’s” Jack Sparrow and “Alice in Wonderland’s” Mad Hatter.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has long wanted the character to star in his own solo film and saw a “Doctor Strange” film as a way to make a movie about magic the way “Guardians of the Galaxy” pushes it into the sci-fi and space genre and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” into political thrillers.
Character fits in with the cinematic universe Marvel is building, with Strange having paired up with Thor and the Avengers, along with Spider-Man, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four to battle enemies in the comicbooks. It’s feasible that Doctor Strange would eventually be featured in an “Avengers” sequel.
Discussions with Depp are early. But even if Depp sparks to the character, talks will surely now focus on whether the actor has time to take on the role. He has several films waiting for a greenlight at Disney, including a fifth “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Alice in Wonderland.”
There is no word yet on when Marvel is hoping to release “Doctor Strange,” but it wouldn’t be until at least 2016. Marvel has “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “The Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Ant-Man” bowing before then.
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