Director Scott Derrickson recently revealed that in order to insist on casting British actor Benedict Cumberbatch as “Doctor Strange,” Marvel Studios agreed to sacrifice the summer blockbuster release date and postponed the film.
On the 29th, “Doctor Strange” director Scott Derrickson shared the casting story of “Doctor Strange.” Derrickson believed that Cumberbatch was the perfect choice for the role and no one else could do it better. To ensure Cumberbatch played Doctor Strange, he suggested rescheduling the release date to Marvel and Disney executives agreed to postpone the popular summer release to the fall for “Doctor Strange.”
Scott told “SlashFilm,” “Everyone said Robert Downey Jr. was perfect as Tony Stark (Iron Man), and I believe there’s no one better than Benedict Cumberbatch to play Stephen Strange (Doctor Strange).”
Reflecting on the casting situation at that time, although discussions were ongoing with Joaquin Phoenix, who starred in the “Joker” series, for the role of Doctor Strange, Derrickson still felt Cumberbatch was the best fit for the role.
Due to Cumberbatch’s prior commitments in the UK, filming Doctor Strange would have affected the summer release date. Scott explained, “I wanted Benedict, he was my choice, so I flew all the way to London to persuade him to take on the role. However, Doctor Strange was scheduled for a summer release, and Benedict had already committed to performing in ‘Hamlet’ at a theater in London.”
Scott recalled thinking initially he wouldn’t get Cumberbatch, “Benedict is a very honest person, he understands the importance of this role and how it can affect his life. But he simply said, ‘I’ve already promised these people, I can’t back out.’ He wouldn’t breach a contract with the theater and the director. So when I returned, I thought, ‘We won’t get Benedict.'”
Later, Scott met with many actors, and he said, “Joaquin was one of those I spent the most time with, and as we continued talking, I realized that Joaquin didn’t really fit into this movie and perhaps never would in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). He’s a very unique person, with specific goals as an actor and a unique performance style. We both understood that it might not be the right fit, which was true.”
Scott mentioned that after choosing Benedict, he was very nervous because it meant committing to shoot many movies, a situation he had never faced before. Scott later went back to Marvel President Kevin Feige and told him, “We need to reschedule because it has to be Benedict playing the role.”
Scott said that Feige later went to Disney CEO Bob Iger and Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn to convey what he had said, and Scott added, “To their credit, they postponed the schedule, and the film became a fall release.” Marvel finally secured Benedict Cumberbatch.
Scott’s insistence on having Cumberbatch play Doctor Strange really paid off for Marvel. Cumberbatch not only became a major star in the MCU but also the first and second films in the Doctor Strange series grossed $677 million and $955 million in box office revenue respectively. Additionally, Cumberbatch played pivotal core roles in films like “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame.”