We reported almost six months ago that the Doctor Strange movie was maybe possibly getting some traction, which was an awesome birthday present as Doctor Strange actually ranks as one of my very favorite superheroes. And while the news hasn’t changed all too much in the interim, here is what the official deal is as of today: 1) The script by Joshua Oppenheimer and Thomas Donnelly (CONAN THE BARBARIAN) has been completed, turned in, and approved. 2) Marvel Studios is “actively seeking a director to come in and helm the project. Once the director has come on board, they will then be searching for the cast to star in Doctor Strange.” 3) “Production on Doctor Strange is expected to begin this year, with a release date likely to be sometime in 2013.”
Now that last point may seem on the hopeful side, but considering today is only the 25th of January that gives Marvel nearly the whole year to find a director, sink into some pre-production, cast, and begin shooting. That being said, and even with word that a DOCTOR STRANGE movie wouldn’t nearly have the kind of budget past Marvel films have used, I do think that a 2013 release date is a bit too hopeful. Unless they want to release in early October? Because that’d be kind of cool. The current known Marvel release slate sits like this: THE AVENGERS (May 4th), IRON MAN 3 (May 3rd, 2013), and THOR 2 (November 15th, 2013).
A small synopsis of Doctor Strange’s story for you: “Doctor Strange centers around a New York surgeon who stops running his practice after suffering injuries in a car crash. He then becomes a drifter and heads to the Himalayas, where he meets a healer and discovers that he has a great psychic power to fight against evil. Doctor Strange boasts powers that includes telepathy, teleportation and energy and astral projection.”