By most accounts, Benedict Cumberbatch is a pretty perfect Doctor Strange — but if
he didn't work his magic, the role could've been taken by a number of other actors.
In fact, because Cumberbatch declined his first shot to star in Doctor Strange due to
scheduling conflicts, director Scott Derrickson actually met with a number of other potential
Masters of the Mystic Arts.
Eventually, Derrickson persuaded Marvel to delay production to accommodate his star,
and the rest is Sorcerer Supreme history.
But who were the other actors who were almost cast in Doctor Strange?
Joaquin Phoenix
As far back as 2014, Marvel pursued Hollywood weirdo Joaquin Phoenix for the part of Doctor
Strange.
Contract negotiations were reportedly close to agreement, but Phoenix is said to have
balked at how much time and creative energy starring in the movie would consume, not to
mention the appearances in other MCU releases that he'd be obligated to make over the next
few years.
He ultimately decided he preferred indie efforts to superhero blockbusters.
As Vanity Fair once pointed out when Phoenix was rumored for the role of Lex Luthor,
"Do you really expect the guy who seems actively miserable any time he has to leave his house
to take on a movie that requires a visit to Comic-Con?"
Ryan Gosling
According to The Guardian, after Joaquin Phoenix turned down Doctor Strange, Ryan Gosling took
some meetings with Marvel Studios.
At the same time, he was also being considered for a role in Suicide Squad.
Maybe to play a Joker who didn't send dead rats to his castmates?
And in a 2014 interview that year, Gosling hinted he'd also love to play the Flash for
DC.
Unfortunately for fans of costumed "Hey Girl" memes, he ultimately didn't land any of these
parts.
But there are still plenty of potential roles to go 'round.
Goslactus, anyone?
Jared Leto
Director Scott Derrickson told Empire that when it looked like Cumberbatch was a no-go,
he met with "a lot of good actors," including Jared Leto, hot off his Best Supporting Actor
win for Dallas Buyers Club.
As we all know, Leto would eventually make his mark in the comic movie world in Suicide
Squad… for a full seven minutes of screen time, before later asking for the release
of unseen x-rated footage that he apparently shot.
Ultimately, this dude would've brought a level of strange that the Doctor definitely didn't
need.
Ethan Hawke
While doing promotion for his Oscar-nominated turn in Boyhood, Ethan Hawke mentioned on
a podcast that he came "as close as anybody could" to playing Stephen Strange.
Hawke suspected he didn't land the part because he doesn't have a huge fanbase like Benedict
Cumberbatch, nor is he a major box office draw, saying,
"If people are gonna put up with somebody like me, they wanna make sure you're gonna
put asses in seats, and there's a lot of actors that are gonna put more asses in seats than
me."
He's...not wrong.
"Ethan Hawke seems like a guy who wasn't supposed to be a movie star, but he slipped through
the cracks and everyone was just like 'Ok.'"
Ewan McGregor
No stranger to the weird ways of the universe, there was apparently mutual interest between
Marvel and Ewan McGregor for Doctor Strange.
In 2015, a reporter from MTV asked McGregor about his involvement in the movie.
"I was intrigued by it and I like the idea of creating a superhero character."
"Ya."
"Why wouldn't you?"
Despite his serious nerd credibility, McGregor believes his lack of comic knowledge bumped
him out of the running for the role, but said "it was still fun to be a part of the mix
for a while."
But really, you can't have Star Wars and Marvel.
That would just be greedy.
Patrick Dempsey
A movie star in the '80s, Patrick Dempsey enjoyed a massive comeback when he took on
a starring role on ABC's popular soap Grey's Anatomy in 2005.
In 2011, he admitted he was looking to get back into movies, specifically with a movie
adaptation of Doctor Strange.
Dempsey publicly discussed his attraction to the character with the Los Angeles Times,
saying,
"I've been lobbying for that.
It would be fantastic.
It'd be a great TV show, especially for HBO or something like that."
Marvel obviously envisioned the Doctor on a bigger screen, and Dempsey wasn't part of
the picture.
Nicolas Cage
Director/writer Roman Coppola is part of the unstoppable Coppola filmmaking dynasty.
Years ago, before the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a thing, Coppola set out to make his own
version of Doctor Strange.
At the time, the comic was still just a cult favorite, but after a chance meeting with
Stan Lee, and seeing how terrible The Fantastic Four was, Coppola was inspired.
Coppola says he spent a while planning it, and he even had an actor in mind for the role
of Doctor Strange: his cousin, the actually strange Nicolas Cage.
"I'm like a prickly pear!"
Though after seeing how Cage handled Marvel's Ghost Rider — twice — it's probably best
he didn't get the role.
Now in his 50s, it might be too late for comic nerd Cage to grab ahold of another superhero
part.
"Too late!
Too late!
Too late!"
Thanks for watching!
Click the Looper icon to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Plus check out all this cool stuff we know you'll love, too!