Following word early this month that Deliver Us From Evil helmer Scott Derrickson will be directing Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange, comes word, via Deadline, that Prometheus scribe Jon Spaihts will be rewriting the screenplay.
Previously drafted by Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer, Doctor Strange is based on the character created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, who made his first appearance in 1963’s “Strange Tales” #110. It follows the adventures of Stephen Strange (nodded at in this year’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier), a brilliant neurosurgeon who, following a car accident loses precision in his hands. His quest to regain his former skills sets Strange on a path to become the “Master of the Mystic Arts”.
Rumored candidates to play Strange are said to include Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy and Jared Leto.
Although a specific release date for Doctor Strange has not yet been set, Marvel has two placeholder dates set for unnamed features on July 8, 2016 and on May 5, 2017. It’s looking more and more likely that the good doctor will be claiming one of those spots.
