UPDATE: Joaquin Phoenix In Talks To Play DOCTOR STRANGE For Marvel And Scott Derrickson

He came close to playing Lex Luthor in Zack Snyder's Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, but Marvel are now said to be in talks with Oscar nominee Joaquin Phoenix for the lead role in the Scott Derrickson helmed Doctor Strange. Hit the jump for details!

By JoshWilding - Jul 25, 2014 11:07 AM EST

Filed Under: Doctor Strange

Marvel Studios are sure to have plenty of big announcements in mind for us at their panel tomorrow, and one of them could potentially be confirmation of this very story as they narrow in on their choice for Doctor Strange! The Wrap reveals that Gladiator and Her star Joaquin Phoenix "has been mentioned most often for the coveted superhero role" and "while insiders caution there is no deal in place yet, multiple sources say Phoenix is in consideration and has had discussions." If it seems surprising that the actor - who shied away from playing Lex Luthor in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice - then you obviously don't know Marvel all that well as they're known for making unconventional casting choices and signing up actors you would never expect to see in this type of movie! This isn't confirmed of course and should be viewed as a rumour for the time being, but the site adds that scheduling issues will likely make it impossible for Benedict Cumberbatch or Tom Hardy to play Doctor Strange, while Jared Leto is said to be keen on directing next and Justin Theroux is busy with The Leftovers on HBO. What do you guys think?

UPDATE: The plot thickens as The Playlist have spotted something very interesting...

One of the comic book stores in CT had Joaquin Phoenix stop by. He was looking for Dr. Strange comics.
— Kevin. (@KevinInChains) July 18, 2014

Hey @scottderrickson, Joaquin Phoenix was shopping for some Dr. Strange comics at Sarge's Comics in New London, CT last week. Is he the Dr.?
— Tony Nunes (@TonytheNunes) July 23, 2014

DOCTOR STRANGE Star Benedict Wong On Moving On From His Sidekick Era And AVENGERS: SECRET WARS Rumors

Recommended For You:

DOCTOR STRANGE Star Benedict Wong Says "Something's Looming" For Wong In The MCU

DISCLAIMER: ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and... [MORE]

ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

Do you have what it takes to write for us?

Want to contribute?

389 Comments

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

TChalla - 7/25/2014, 11:03 AM

Cool! It's not even Saturday yet!

TheRationalNerd - 7/25/2014, 11:07 AM

Wow, great actor! Let's see where this goes...

Reasonnnn - 7/25/2014, 11:09 AM

Make mine Marvel.

SO LOOKING FORWARD TO "INHERENT VICE".

BigMikeReviews - 7/25/2014, 11:10 AM

WHY COULDN'T HE HAVE BEEN LEX

MrBlackJack - 7/25/2014, 11:11 AM

I'd be down for this!

FirstAvenger - 7/25/2014, 11:11 AM

Not a bad choice.

akidnamedcesar - 7/25/2014, 11:11 AM

sKeemAn - 7/25/2014, 11:12 AM

Whoa! thats huge. Great actor.

yossarian - 7/25/2014, 11:12 AM

@BigMike - SuperArgo could have answered that for you.

I doubt this happens.

BawbScharf - 7/25/2014, 11:13 AM

Misdirection or talks with the revealed shortlist actors all fell through and this is a last ditch effort to finalize before saturday. But I am going to go with misdirection so Benedict is not SO obvious when they announce him.

Reasonnnn - 7/25/2014, 11:16 AM

@Omarvis He's one of the finest actors of our generation. Even a phoned-in performance is better than most.

GuardianAngel - 7/25/2014, 11:16 AM

Brainiac13 - 7/25/2014, 11:17 AM

I wanted him as LL but......I'm cool with this..

UrichLeeds - 7/25/2014, 11:17 AM

I highly doubt Phoenix will sign on (they offered him Banner before and he turned it down). But alas, stranger things have happened.

MCUsDarkKnight - 7/25/2014, 11:18 AM

MrCBM56 - 7/25/2014, 11:18 AM

Let's not rule shia labeouf out

Brainiac13 - 7/25/2014, 11:18 AM

Better Actor than Cumberbatch

yossarian - 7/25/2014, 11:18 AM

I heard they already cast Burt Reynolds.

Abary - 7/25/2014, 11:18 AM

Oh shit!

Starfox - 7/25/2014, 11:19 AM

Wow that's actually Amazing casting if true.

Brainiac13 - 7/25/2014, 11:20 AM

Three-time Oscar nominee

MrCBM56 - 7/25/2014, 11:20 AM

@Yoss I heard Tom Selleck.

DylanTBest - 7/25/2014, 11:20 AM

I thought he said he was uninterested in doing comic book movies when he was rumored for Lex Luthor? I doubt he will get the role, but he is in my list of top 5 people I would have wanted to play him, so I wouldn't be disappointed if he gets it.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

UPDATE: Joaquin Phoenix In Talks To Play DOCTOR STRANGE For Marvel And Scott Derrickson

He came close to playing Lex Luthor in Zack Snyder's Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, but Marvel are now said to be in talks with Oscar nominee Joaquin Phoenix for the lead role in the Scott Derrickson helmed Doctor Strange. Hit the jump for details!

DOCTOR STRANGE Star Benedict Wong On Moving On From His Sidekick Era And AVENGERS: SECRET WARS Rumors

DOCTOR STRANGE Star Benedict Wong Says "Something's Looming" For Wong In The MCU

DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE Reportedly Considered A Surprising Supervillain For Earth-838's Illuminati

DOCTOR STRANGE Star Benedict Wong On Moving On From His Sidekick Era And AVENGERS: SECRET WARS Rumors

DOCTOR STRANGE Star Benedict Wong Says "Something's Looming" For Wong In The MCU

DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE Reportedly Considered A Surprising Supervillain For Earth-838's Illuminati

DOCTOR STRANGE Star Benedict Wong On Moving On From His Sidekick Era And AVENGERS: SECRET WARS Rumors

DOCTOR STRANGE Star Benedict Wong Says "Something's Looming" For Wong In The MCU

WEREWOLF BY NIGHT Director Michael Giacchino Rumored To Be In Talks To Helm MIDNIGHT SONS Movie

DOCTOR STRANGE Star Mads Mikkelsen Shares Hopes For MCU Return And Reflects On His Kaecilius Experience

Original DOCTOR STRANGE 2 Writer Says There Are "Two Versions" Of The Sequel; Details Marvel Experience

Popular Headlines

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE: Every Major Marvel Cameo In The New Trailer - Possible SPOILERS

DC Studios Co-CEO James Gunn Responds To Zack Snyder's Recent Comments About The DCU

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE: 7 Biggest Easter Eggs, Reveals, And Spoilers In The New Trailer

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE Official Trailer Features Ultimate Team-Up & Promises The Wildest MCU Movie Of All-Time!

DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE Rumor Points To Larger Roles For Two Particular Characters - SPOILERS

DUNE Director On Paul's MESSIAH Arc; Rebecca Ferguson Says "I'd Love To See Timothée Turn Into A [SPOILER]"

KNUCKLES: Paramount+ SONIC Spin-Off Hits Rotten Tomatoes; New Clips Released

LOKI's [SPOILER] Rumored To Appear In DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE; New Cassandra Nova Details Revealed

DUNE Director On Paul's MESSIAH Arc; Rebecca Ferguson Says "I'd Love To See Timothée Turn Into A [SPOILER]"

KNUCKLES: Paramount+ SONIC Spin-Off Hits Rotten Tomatoes; New Clips Released

LOKI's [SPOILER] Rumored To Appear In DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE; New Cassandra Nova Details Revealed

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA Was One Of Marvel's Most Expensive Movies Ever Reveals New Report

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE: Rob Liefeld Responds To Trailer's Shot At His Apparent Inability To Draw Feet

REBEL MOON: Zack Snyder Hits Back At Claims He's "Delusional" After Saying It Would've Made $1.6 Billion

Hot Headlines

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE Official Trailer Features Ultimate Team-Up & Promises The Wildest MCU Movie Of All-Time!

DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE Trailer Arrives Tomorrow! Check Out A New Teaser And Poster

SUPERMAN Director James Gunn Shares New "S" Logo - But What Could It Mean?

MADAME WEB Star Sydney Sweeney Seemingly Takes Shot At Hollywood Producer: "Sorry For Having Great T**s"

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE: Every Major Marvel Cameo In The New Trailer - Possible SPOILERS

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

REBEL MOON: Zack Snyder Says Director's Cuts Are "More Like A Parallel Universe Than An Extended Version"

Daisy Ridley Teases The Different STAR WARS Film That Will Hopefully Be A "New Adventure"

Zack Snyder's Animated Norse Mythology Series TWILIGHT OF THE GODS Will Be Released This Fall

DUNE: PART TWO Star Rebecca Ferguson On DUNE: MESSIAH - "I'd Love To See Timothée Turn Into A Worm"

As GODZILLA X KONG Closes In On $500M Worldwide, How Does It Compare To Previous MonsterVerse Films?

FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA TV Spot Teases Furiosa's Origin Story; One Action Scene "Took 78 Days To Shoot"

Cartoons & Animated Features

BIG HERO 6 Producer Reveals Why We STILL Haven't Got A Sequel To Disney Animation's Marvel Movie

KNUCKLES Rotten Tomatoes Score Revealed Along With New Clip Featuring Sonic And Tails

Ella Purnell Says ARCANE Season 2 Will Be Incredibly Tragic As Netflix Preps The Series For Annecy Reveal

Netflix Reveals Premiere Window For Zack Snyder's TWILIGHT OF THE GODS

X-MEN '97: Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige Reportedly Considered Making Animated Series "Canon" To The MCU

TRANSFORMERS ONE Character Posters Highlight The Movie's Divisive Animation Style

Gaming

LaKeith Stanfield To Star In Film Based On EL PASO, ELSEWHERE Vampire Video Game

Comedy Central Orders 10-Episode GOLDEN AXE Animated Series From Mike McMahan And Joe Chandler

FALLOUT Season 2 Will Feature One Of The Game's Most Iconic Monsters

FORTNITE Will Now Let You Block "Confrontational Emotes"

KNUCKLES: Paramount+ SONIC Spin-Off Hits Rotten Tomatoes With An Impressive 88%

Fan Project Estimates GTA 6 Map Size Could Be 2.5 Times Larger Than GTA 5

Anime & Manga

DRAGON BALL SUPER Interval Special Announced By Jump While Manga Remains On Indefinite Hiatus

New Teaser And Key Art For Live-Action TRILLION GAME Movie

Netflix's PARASYTE: THE GREY Is Now Streaming; Here's What The Critics Are Saying

MY HERO ACADEMIA Tops X-MEN '97, INVINCIBLE And More In Social Media Engagement

Netmarble Announces Release Date For New Game SOLO LEVELING: ARISE

KAIJU NO. 8 Reveals Opening And Ending Theme Animations

Horror

THE WATCHERS New Trailer Sees Dakota Fanning Terrorised In Ishana Night Shyamalan's Directorial Debut

EVIL DEAD RISE Director Lee Cronin Shares Gruesome New BTS Photos To Mark Movie's One-Year Anniversary

Happy 4/20! Check Out The Red Band Trailer For New Stoner Horror Movie TRIM SEASON

ABIGAIL Spoilers: Find Out What Happens - And Who Shows Up - In New Horror Comedy

TRAP: First Trailer For M. Night Shyamalan's Latest Spoils The Big Twist

IMMACULATE Star Sydney Sweeney Has Been Slammed By A Hollywood Producer: "She's Not Pretty, She Can't Act"

Action Movies & TV

Tom Cruise's MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 8 Adds SEVERANCE Actor Tramell Tillman

A24's CIVIL WAR Was The #1 Movie In America For The Second Week In A Row

JAMES BOND: Henry Cavill Isn't Closing The Door On Playing 007; "Maybe I'm Too Old Now. Maybe I'm Not..."

Alex Garland's CIVIL WAR Is The #1 Movie In North America- Opens To $25.7M

THE ACCOUNTANT 2 Adds Four More Actors Including JURASSIC WORLD Star Daniella Pineda

Edgar Wright's RUNNING MAN Remake Casts TOP GUN's Glen Powell In The Lead

Pro Wrestling & MMA News

Becky Lynch Is Crowned New WWE Women's World Champion On RAW In A Show Full Of Big Surprises

Cody Rhodes On Being Gifted His Father's Lost Rolex And Why He Gifted Seth Rollins A Watch At WRESTLEMANIA

Becky Lynch Reveals Seth Rollins Recently Underwent Surgery After Working WRESTLEMANIA While Injured