Following yesterday’s surprise casting of Michael Douglas in the Ant-Man film, the rumor mill has been running with more casting speculation, this time for 2016’s proposed Doctor Strange film adaptation. When the shortlist for Ant-Man was revealed to include Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Paul Rudd (who ended up getting the role), there were conflicting rumors that also included Joseph Gordon-Levitt being considered for the aforementioned Doctor Strange role. As is the case for all online film rumors, especially pertaining to superhero castings, it’s all taken with a grain of salt.
It appears as if another name has been thrown on top of the growing mound of salt as frequent Tim Burton collaborator Johnny Depp has reportedly met with Marvel about the role. Latino Review, who has correctly reported on some of the major confirmed superhero rumors as of late, was the first outlet to to break the rumor. Confirmation (or denial, even in the form of a red herring) will sure to come down the line, but considering Doctor Strange‘s planned 2016 release, it could be awhile before anything substantial comes to fruition.
One major aspect to the rumor is that, if it is true, it means Disney is comfortable with altering the plans from having a younger Doctor Strange for a more mature one. Granted, Depp has been blessed by the Fountain of Youth and looks nowhere near his 50 years of age, but to build a potential franchise around him would illustrate Disney’s complete faith in the actor. I’d still prefer to have a younger actor in the role, but it would good to see Depp play a role that isn’t a total cartoon caricature… then again, Doctor Strange is a practitioner of the mystic arts…
[Latino Review, via Collider]