I mentioned recently that Marvel did a very nice job parlaying the momentum of Captain America into momentum for The Avengers, in a combination of very graceful Comic Con promotion and very not-graceful grinding of Avengers set-up into the tail-end of Captain America (even putting it online!). Well now that the flagship team film has been established, it’s time to start pushing forward with the tertiary characters to support the onward march of Marvel on the big screen– next up? Quite possibly Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme.
It’s coming from Twitch that a new script for the greedy neurosurgeon-turned-selfless sorcerer has been turned into Marvel and that they have now rerouted it to their prospective directors, hoping one could begin soon enough to get a film in theaters by 2013. That draft comes from Thomas Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer, who might quell a little bit of excitement with their resume, which includes Sahara, Dylan Dog (which I’ve not seen, but buzz isn’t so hot), and the Conan reboot. They also contributed to the highly arbitrated screenplay for Cowboys & Aliens. Ew.
Twitch notes that Marvel is looking for a director to hop on board now, to “oversee continued development,” which means a strong director could still come in and steer the ship in the right direction. Still kind of raises one’s eyebrow, especially considering a gentleman like Edgar Wright is the one turning in drafts for another odd little side-character: Ant-Man.
So are audiences ready for Doc Strange, as much as Marvel fans have seemed to be for years now? The cosmic side of the Marvel Universe really started pushing its way into this summer’s films, it’s only a matter of time before a project dives all the way in. But who could fit into the severe, gray-streaked visage of the doctor? Surely you have some thoughts… twitter, the comments, and the boards are the place for them, along with any suggestions of who you hope is on that director short list…