When Marvel Studios was searching for its Doctor Strange in the mid-2010s, a lot of very interesting names were in the mix. Chief among them was Joaquin Phoenix, an actor it was hard to imagine ever joining the MCU.
Ultimately, it didn't happen, and Benedict Cumberbatch landed the role. It's hard to imagine anyone else playing the Sorcerer Supreme now, of course, and Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson revealed just how close the Joker star came to being cast in an interview with Slash Film.
"Well, all I'll say is I spent some time with him. I spent a couple of long afternoons with him and really was really impressed with him personally and his thought process," the filmmaker explained. "This is what I'll say: I think he was giving, I think he was opening his mind to the possibility. I think he was investigating the possibility."
"I met with a bunch of actors, and Joaquin was the one that I spent the most time with. As we continued to talk, it became clear to me that Joaquin didn't really belong in that movie and probably never belonged in the MCU. He's a very specific guy with very specific goals as an actor, and a very specific way of performing. I think it became clear to both of us that this might not be a good fit, really is what it came down to."
Once that was established, Derrickson set his sights on Cumberbatch, an actor he says was always "my choice for the role."
However, a problem arose when Marvel Studios learned the actor was committed to performing in Hamlet, making it impossible to cast him when Doctor Strange was still a summer movie. However, they wanted Cumberbatch enough to change the release date!
"Benedict, he's a guy with great integrity, and he understood the significance of what the role was and how it could impact his life. But he just said, 'I've said yes to these people. I've committed to doing this. I can't back out of it.' He just personally wouldn't do that to the theater and to the director of the show. So I came back from that trip and I was like, 'We're not going to get Benedict.'
"We didn't have a script, either. Keep that in mind. I think what he was very nervous about was he'd be committing to multiple movies, which is not the kind of thing he's ever done. I just went back to Kevin [Feige] and I just said, 'We have to move the date because it's got to be Benedict.' Kevin went to Bob Iger and Alan Horn, and told them what I said."
"We moved the release date to get Benedict," Derrickson concluded.
While the director had been attached to helm the Doctor Strange sequel, he eventually ran into creative issues with Marvel Studios and parted ways on amicable terms. Sam Raimi later helmed Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, a sequel much different to what Derrickson had in mind.
Both Doctor Strange movies are now streaming on Disney+.