Welcome back, one and all! In our newest entry, we take a look at Marvel’s master of the mystic arts!
THE COMIC:
Created in the mid-60’s by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko (hot off the success of Spider-Man), Dr. Strange would go on to become Marvel’s authority on all things magic. But first, he was Stephen Strange, your typical run-of-the-mill chip on his shoulder brain surgeon. After a car accident permanently injures his hands and ends his practice, he makes his way to a healer in the Himalayas called the Ancient One. There, Strange immerses himself in the arcane arts, eventually receiving powerful artifacts like the Eye of Agamotto and the Cloak of Levitation. He returns with a new title, Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme, operating out of his Sanctum Santorium in Greenwich Village and battling malevolent supernatural forces such as Baron Mordo the disgraced pupil of the Ancient One, and Dormammu, ruler of the Dark Dimension.
THE MOVIE:
Expect the film version to be chock-full of surreal magical mysteries and stunning visuals with epic demon battles across supernatural realms. At the heart of the story, behind all the pretty and scary imagery, is the journey of Stephen Strange from arrogant, damaged misanthrope to heroic Sorcerer Supreme.
To name a few examples, the original comics by Ditko, especially the 17-issue epic from "Strange Tales" #130-146, seem the best example of Strange in his most classic and surreal. For the likely origin story, the 2007 animated DTV, though brisk, is a decent first draft and handled Strange’s emotional arc far better than one would expect.
SUGGESTED DIRECTORS: Alex Proyas (Knowing, Dark City), Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Night Watch), and Alfonso Cuarón (Harry Potter 3, Children of Men) would each bring a unique vision and scope to the project. Whomever they choose, this smells like the type of job that could go to an up-and-coming foreign director who's been making a recent splash at the film festivals.
COULD IT HAPPEN?
The idea of a Dr. Strange film has been kicked around in various forms since the late 1980’s. Recently, Marvel Studios hired Thomas Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer, the scribes behind the upcoming "Conan the Barbarian," to draft the latest screenplay. If the film is actually greenlit, it will most likely be the first Marvel superhero property to see release under the Disney banner.