Doctor Strange is easily one of Marvel's riskiest properties to try to bring to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. How does one balance a world full of demons and witchcraft with a mostly sci-fi driven universe? We have basically established that Asgardians are aliens and that their technology is so advanced that it appears to be magic, but will that line of reasoning work with Stephen Strange? I have no idea but Marvel seem to be fairly confident that audiences will eat it up!
But what actor will be able to carry such as risky venture? Now I could stress that this is only my opinion and what not but I know that some of you will be fueling up those flame throwers so let's get this over and done with, shall we?
Jake Gyllenhaal
From a young age, Gyllenhaal has proven time and time again that he's a very capable, sometime astounding actor. From the twitchy yet intense Detective Loki in Denis Villeneuve's
Prisoners, to the mentally disturbed titular character in Richard Kelly's
Donnie Darko, Gyllenhaal has shown that he has the acting range necessary to make the Sorcerer Supreme believable to audiences worldwide. It also really helps that he's a household name. While I'm sure the Disney marketing machine will do it's job of advertising Strange's first live action film, having an A-Lister star attached definitely helps.
Chiwetel Ejiofor
"OH SHIT. HE JUST MICHAEL B. JORDAN'D THE SHIT OUT OF THIS FAN CASTING". Yes. Yes I did. I'm one of these crazy people who believe that, for the most part, race does not matter when it comes to casting certain characters. Now I know that for some of you, Chiwetel is your top choice to play Black Panther. If Marvel were to cast him as T'Challa, I'd be happy as Larry but due to his age (36), I don't think that will happen. Black Panther will be an incredibly physical role so I can see Marvel going after someone younger. Chiwetel is one of the greatest yet most underrated actors of his generation and to have him cast as Stephen Strange would be absolutely amazing. The man is just absolutely captivating on screen and he would add a real sense of gravitas to the role.
Oscar Isaac
Oscar Isaac's star is very much on the rise. I first noticed the actor in Zack Snyder's abysmal
Sucker Punch and the now favourite of mine,
Drive, but he really got my attention in last years brilliant
Inside Llewyn Davis. He definitely has the right sort of look for the role and has some serious acting chops. While he isn't quite a well known actor, Marvel has a track record of taking risks when it comes to casting their movies and I strongly believe that casting Isaac would be a worthwhile one.
Richard Armitage
Don't know who this guy is? Imagine him a lot shorter with long hair, a beard and bushy eyebrows. Armitage is best known for his role as Thorin from
The Hobbit trilogy. While I'll admit I'm not a fan of The Hobbit (I adore Lord of the Rings though), Armitage is definitely one of the better parts of the films. He has a very commanding on screen presence so I can definitely see him holding his own when the time comes for the Sorcerer Supreme to join up with Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Plus if you were to give him a goatee in the picture above, he would look exactly like Strange so that's always a plus.
Matthew McConaughey
Have you seen HBO's
True Detective?
Dallas Buyer's Club?
Killer Joe?
Fraility? What the hell is wrong with you? We are currently living in the time of the McConaissance and this man can do no wrong. He is arguably one of the biggest actors on the planet right now and nothing is slowing him down. My only concern would be his age but I'm sure a slightly older actor would work just fine for Strange. Can you imagine him bringing the intensity of
True Detective along with his usual charm to the role? It would be absolutely perfect and could easily rival Downey's Stark.
So that's my first article here at CBM! I'm sure Marvel will make the right choice in the end as their casting record has been impeccable so far. No reason to mess it up now! Hope it didn't piss you off too much but sound off with your thoughts below!