Benedict Cumberbatch is Officially Marvel's Doctor Strange

Albino Boo

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theNater said:
Daaaah Whoosh said:
At this point, isn't it a bad idea for Marvel to keep getting big names in their movies? I mean, it's not like they need anything other than 'by Marvel Studios' to get people to show up at the theatres, and I don't even want to know how much it costs to book Cumberbatch these days, let alone keep him available for sequels.

That said, he's an actor I have no problems with, and I'm sure he'll do justice to the role. So, overall, meh.
If they want people to keep showing up, they need to keep making good movies. That requires hiring good actors, especially for the starring roles. While actors who are good but not famous would be more cost-efficient, those are few and far between. Better to pay out for a big name(and keep the cash rolling in) than to tank the franchise by going for a crappy but cheap actor.
This is Cumberbatch's first lead role in a big budget hollywood film. He won't have cost as much as a proven blockbuster actor. I'm not disagreeing on the fact that Cumberbatch is a good actor but these kind of film are not just about acting. Colin Farrell is good character actor and his put in some very strong performances but every time they cast him in mainstream lead he can't hold the film together. Sean Connery isn't the greatest actor but he can hold a mainstream film together. There is a risk that Cumberbatch can't hold a blockbuster together, a small one I grant you, but his salary will reflect that.
 

octafish

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You cannot make a proper Dr Strange film without addressing the classic Dikto art. How do you present Eternity on screen?
 

batti

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octafish said:
You cannot make a proper Dr Strange film without addressing the classic Dikto art. How do you present Eternity on screen?
complimentary tab of acid?
 

chozo_hybrid

What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets.
Jul 15, 2009
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I'm not a huge fan of his, he's okay. I will have to reserve judgement until I at least see a trailer with him as the character first.

VoidWanderer said:
Patrick Stewart played on ofe the greatest Star Trek captains.
I would just like to point out that he was chosen to be the role, Picard is as Patrick Stewart was, he was not pre defined. Doctor Strange is.
 

Verlander

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I think ol' Benedict is at the risk of Depp-ing. Fans are gonna turn against him soon. Also, I'll echo those mentioning his age, it would have been a great opportunity to introduce an older hero. Sean Penn has 15 years on him, give or take, and would seem perfect for the part (even if I don't really like the bloke).

Still, there's no denying Cumberbatch's talent, I'm sure it'll be great.
 

Edguy

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Mr. Q said:
Well, the worst kept secret has finally come out.

Meanwhile, in an unrelated story, all of Tumblr's servers melt down for an unexplained reason. ;P
The possibility of having Hiddleston and Cumberbatch show up in the same movie was too much. RIP tumblr.
 

octafish

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batti said:
octafish said:
You cannot make a proper Dr Strange film without addressing the classic Dikto art. How do you present Eternity on screen?
complimentary tab of acid?
That is pretty much what I was thinking. William Castle eat your heart out!
 

themyrmidon

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Every main character in a Marvel movie so far has become primarily associated with their role in that movie, except one: Ed Norton.

Cumberbatch is Sherlock. He we always be known as Sherlock. There is no room for him to truly be Dr Strange.

Personal feeling about his acting and other potential actors aside, this is reason enough not to cast him. It might make he fangirls squeal with joy, but when the movie comes out they'll either be disappointed that Strange isn't like Sherlock, or he will be Sherlock to the detriment of the character.
 

Kenjitsuka

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Awww yeah! Seems today is a good day for film news ;)

Love Cumberbatch, he's a damn fine actor!!!
 

hermes

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And that is the sound of millions of girls moaning at the prospect of seeing Cumberbatch wearing black tights.

OT: I don't know. He doesn't look the part and the sorcerer supreme is extremely hard to put into film. Not saying it will be bad (Marvel has been known for archiving other "hard to film" projects before), but this is the phase 3 movie I am more reluctant about.
 

Dan of Hats

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Wow, I'm honestly a little surprised at how "meh" the reception has been for this confirmation. I mean, no one is saying he's a bad actor at all, quite the opposite in fact, but there's an awful lot of opinions being voiced that seem to feel he won't do the role justice in some way. I figured I'd throw my own two cents into the hat, and offer some friendly (repeat, friendly!) counter-arguments to a few of the points I've seen raised that I feel, personally, shouldn't give people so much reservation about the film.

1 - Accent. Yes, Dr. Strange is American...in the comics. The MCU has been pretty willing to tweak and outright change details to suit their own narrative, using the comics for much of their inspiration without being shackled. They might simply decide that this version of Strange is British, or not even really reference is accent too much. Or, Cumberbatch might simply put on an American accent - it would likely be better than people would be willing to give him credit for, because everyone has that deep British accent in their head when they see him, but hey, time shall tell.

2 - Too young for the role. Can't say I follow this one, I mean he looks young for his age, but it wouldn't take much for the makeup team to age him considerably if they want to go for that angle. Of course, this might also be a story that focuses a lot on how Dr. Strange was prior to acquiring his magical powers (I know, I'm hoping it's not an origin story either, but I feel given they're likely going to have to spend time introducing how magic works in the MCU, it's going to require at least some substantial flash-backing in order to connect Strange learning magic alongside the audience), so they might have needed an actor that could look convincing both younger and more aged. I'm assuming he's had enough time between learning magic and establishing himself as a presence, since he's referenced by name as a target of note in Captain America 2.

3 - Not "fun" enough. Again, not really sure why this is a factor for some people, but I will agree that there has certainly been a lot of enthusiasm shown by the actors for their roles thus far. I mean lets face it, they're getting a ton of recognition and money from films that even a decade or so before would have probably been the kind of embarrassing, for-the-money job that actors would sometimes need to do in order to fund themselves while they wait for the more "dignified" roles. However, Marvel has been putting some serious effort into overhauling just what it means to be a superhero movie - Guardians of the Galaxy was a superb action/comedy, and a love letter to the 70s/80s as a whole. Captain America 2 was a pretty good spy thriller. For Dr. Stange, they've gotten a director whose main credits are all horror movies. While they're still clearly enthused for the work they're making, Marvel also needs actors who can bring across the weight needed for their more serious work, and lets face it, Cumberbatch has a sense of gravitas about him that will likely lend a bit more credibility to people who think the MCU films are still "just" superhero movies.
 

Mr. Q

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Edguy said:
Mr. Q said:
Well, the worst kept secret has finally come out.

Meanwhile, in an unrelated story, all of Tumblr's servers melt down for an unexplained reason. ;P
The possibility of having Hiddleston and Cumberbatch show up in the same movie was too much. RIP tumblr.
You really want to "break the Internet in half"? Have those two in the same movie. Plus, I'm sure all movie theaters will have to cover their seats in plastic after the midnight screenings. ^^;
 

LordMonty

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prowll said:
*sighs, shakes head, and throws wad of paper over shoulder* There go my hopes and dreams of THAT being worth a damn...

In serious, I'm sure it'll be 'fine', but damnit, HE'S TOO YOUNG FOR THE ROLE.
To be honwst these films take years to make, young is actually for the best, like James Bond actors start them young so they last longer... they can be made up to look a little older easily but going the other way is a tag harder(see cgi Schwarzenegger in new terminator - that'll be a lot of money just to have him look young).

I think its a good call and hope he steals the show as he does in msot things.
 

Lieju

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Jan 4, 2009
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Cumberbatch is a bit of hit-and-miss for me, which probably has less to do with him as an actor and more with the casting and directing.
I hated him as Khan for a lot of reasons, but I don't really blame him in that case. (And it's not like he was the only or even biggest of the movie's issues)

I'm not terribly familiar with Dr. Strange but from what I have read of his comics he fits well. I'm more concerned about the writing and what powers they'll give him and make that all work.

I shall be looking forward all the Loki/Dr. Strange and Iron man/Dr. Strange fanfiction though.
Well, I'm mostly kidding. Although let it be known the biggest gift Benedict Cucumberpatch and his casting in the past has given me is all that Smaug/Bilbo fanfiction and fanart...
 

Souplex

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Jul 29, 2008
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While I don't approve of this decision, it is infinitely preferable to Johnny Depp.