It has been a while since fans got their first look at Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange last December. Since then, new images have been scarce and mostly relegated to concept art. Most of Marvel’s marketing efforts have been focused on the upcoming Captain America: Civil War, since that will be the next MCU film to hit theaters.
Now, however, filming for Doctor Strange has begun in London, and while the filmmakers for Star Wars: Episode VIII are able to use counter-drones to keep peeping Toms away from their set, that is not an option when filming in a major metropolitan area. It should surprise no one, then, that the barrage of leaked set photos and videos from London has already begun.
CBM has a roundup of some of those photos and videos, courtesy of various Twitter accounts and Periscope user Sanford Dickert. One photo in particular (shown below) offers a remarkably close-up look at Benedict Cumberbatch in costume as Doctor Strange, and it looks like the Doctor has hit a bit of a rough patch. The video gives a hint as to why he is bruised and bloodied, as he and Baron Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) come to the assistance of his sidekick Wong (Benedict Wong).
IYMI #Cumberbatch filming @DrStrange in London today pic.twitter.com/dZTW8Y69KO— Anything Cumberbatch (@Anythingbatch) February 21, 2016
The Periscope video also has some commentary offering context for what is happening on the set. For instance, Dickert guesses that the filming location was chosen for its similarity to New York’s East Side, and the presence of yellow cabs also seems to indicate that London is merely a stand-in for the Big Apple. The filming takes place outside a building with a mostly-glass facade, and shattered glass is spread on the ground, making it look like someone (it would appear to be Wong) took a fall from up above. The video clocks in at over 20 minutes, so it offers plenty of opportunity for dedicated fans to watch the set goings-on and make their own conjectures.
No doubt more images and video are to come, as long as the movie is being shot in such an open location. Whether there will be similar leaks for the parts of the film that take place in various other realms and alternate dimensions is anyone’s guess, but with the modern ubiquity of smartphones, it would not be surprising.
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 – 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: Sanford Dickert (via CBM)
