It’s no secret that Marvel Studios is expanding their Marvel Cinematic Universe beyond what’s expected of traditional superhero movies. The teaser trailer for Doctor Strange has proven that the studio is embracing the magical elements of the Marvel comics and is ready to unleash it to the world. In a recent interview, director Scott Derrickson and star Benedict Cumberbatch spoke more about Doctor Strange and how the film will be in the vein of the Strange comics.
As a part of Marvel’s Phase III, Doctor Strange will tell the origin story of Steven Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), a surgeon who suffers a car accident that injures the nerves in his hands. This accident will set Strange on a course to the Himayalas and to learn the mystic arts from The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton). Audiences got their first taste of Doctor Strange from the teaser trailer that premiere two days ago on Jimmy Kimmel Live, following the release of the first promotional posters for the film.
In an interview with USA Today, Derrickson and Cumberbatch talk more about the Stephen Strange character and what audiences can expect to see in November. Cumberbatch describes Strange’s journey to the Himalayas after his traumatic accident:
Derrickson explains how as a part of Strange’s journey, it will address the accident and trauma he has faced:
“He’s enraged by the mumbo jumbo he gets hit with until he’s catapulted into the reality of that world, and then the teachings begin, as they say. I hope you root for him.”
Since magical elements will be a large part of Strange’s journey, Derrickson will be transforming the way magic will be portrayed on film:
“Strange ‘is spiritually evolving through his pain and torment, and doing it through the experience of incredibly weird realities.’”
“Traditionally when you think about practitioners of sorcery, they tend to be static in the casting and speaking of spells, and then something odd happens that become the spectacle that you watch. [Magic in ‘Doctor Strange’ is] just more immersive and bigger than the characters.”
Fans should expect the magical elements in Doctor Strange to take notes from the original comics, as noted in this excerpt from USA Today’s article:
By relying further on magical elements in the film, Doctor Strange will be a larger departure from the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While there are elements of magic in the Thor films and other realms in Ant-Man, it appears that Doctor Strange push the envelope further by relying more on magic in the film. Marvel Studios seem to have no problem with Doctor Strange expanding the MCU even more than before and opening up even stranger worlds for the studio to explore. Director Scott Derrickson seems confident in his ability to bring the strange elements of Doctor Strange to the big screen, which will be very appeal to the fans of the character.
“Director Scott Derrickson (Sinister) very much wants to capture the style and vibe of the magical character’s roots in 1960s psychedelic comic books, ‘where it was all about mind expansion and doors of perception and seeing things from a new perspective,’ he says. ‘We get to go with Stephen Strange through his experience of the new, and hopefully it’ll give audiences something that’s new for them as viewers.’”
Captain America: Civil War will release on May 6, 2016, followed by Doctor Strange– November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man: Homecoming – July 7, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; Black Panther – February 16, 2018; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1– May 4, 2018; Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel – March 8, 2019; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 – May 3, 2019; Inhumans – July 12, 2019; and as-yet untitled Marvel movies on May 1, July 10 and November 6, 2020.
Source: USA Today
