We gotta admit, we thought the rumor mill would be churning a lot faster even since Joaquin Phoenix dropped out of contention to play "Doctor Strange" nearly two weeks ago. It’s been a bit slow, but this evening brings another name into the mix.
Badass Digest reports that Ewan McGregor is preparing for the role and/or doing research, while the studio is said to be "looking at him." Glean from that what you will. As we learned from the Phoenix story, negotiations can take a while as deals are ironed out and as actors decide if they like the material and want to commit to Marvel‘s "famed" longterm contracts. Another name linked to the role recently, Keanu Reeves, addressed those reports by openly asking, “Would I be good at that? Would I be right for the role?” while making his hesitation very clear.
“From a practical standpoint, the idea of a longtime contract [like the famed long-term Marvel deals] is sort of ‘errr’ because you want to make sure the material is up to a certain level, like the good or great level,” Reeves told Collider. “I think with [superhero movies], you need the material, you need the director who you think can deliver a vision. You don’t want to do it for doing it, you know? You want to try and make sure it’s doing something.”
Like we said, a lot of factors are at play before any actor signs on. Variety adds that Jake Gyllenhaal, Oscar Isaac and Matthew McConaughey also could be contenders, but don’t hold your breath. "Doctor Strange" opens on July 8, 2016.