Doctor Strange

Iron Man 3 Could Start Production Early; Captain America 2 to Shoot This Year, Followed by S.H.I.E.L.D. or Dr. Strange?

Marvel Studios and parent company Disney have yet to release The Avengers, but they're already hard at work on "phase two" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, starting with Iron Man 3. That movie was set to start shooting at the end of May, after The Avengers had opened, but Comicbook.com reports the date's been moved up and filming could start as early as the end of April or the first week of May in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Marvel would not officially confirm the production change. It's likely that the studio will want Robert Downey Jr. to do press for The Avengers through April and, possibly, through The Avengers' opening date of May 4th. However, production could begin without Downey. "It is not April for sure," another Marvel source later told the site. Whether it shoots in early or late May, Iron Man 3 is set for a May 3, 2013 release date.

Guillermo del Toro Sets the Record Straight on His Involvement with Thor and Dr. Strange and Updates The Hulk TV Series

As time goes by, it's beginning to look less and less likely that we will ever see a sequel to Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Back in October 2010, director Guillermo del Toro basically said Hellboy 3 will never happen for a variety of reasons, from creator Mike Mignola's reluctance to let del Toro tell the ending of his character's story, to title star Ron Perlman's extreme dislike of the makeup process to transform him into the "Right Hand of Doom." Perlman sounded a little more interested in reprising the role at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, but del Toro didn't seem to think anything had changed.

Still, comic book movie fans may yet have a chance to see the visionary filmmaker put his unique stamp on another comic book property. In a recent interview with MTV, del Toro discussed everything from being offered the helm of Thor, to the rumors he might be connected to a live-action Doctor Strange movie, to The Hulk TV series he is developing for ABC with Battlestar Gallactica producer David Eick.

Marvel Moving Forward with Doctor Strange

Last June, Marvel Studios hired Conan: The Barbarian reboot screenwriters Thomas Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer to write a script for a potential Doctor Strange movie. While not the most well-known character in Marvel's canon, the move was an attempt to expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and one that was approved by the character's creator, Stan Lee.

While Oppenheimer and Donnelly obviously have experience working with supernatural and fantasy comic book characters after working on Conan and Dylan Dog: Dead of Night, their script was apparently good enough for Marvel to move forward. Twitch Film reports that Marvel has received the Doctor Strange script and are putting together a shortlist of directors in order to find someone to "oversee continued development".

Patrick Dempsey (Still) Wants to Play Doctor Strange

Patrick Dempsey has already revealed he won't be returning to Grey's Anatomy after next season. The actor is looking to take his career back where it started ‐ movies. Dempsey isn't looking to return to movies like Can't Buy Me Love and Lover Boy that jump-started his career in the 1980s, but, instead, Dempsey is hoping to continue his association with comic book movies that began with his role in this summer's Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

In April, Dempsey revealed an interest in the Marvel Comics character of Doctor Strange, saying he would "love to play" the role. In a recent interview with MTV, Dempsey reiterated his desire for the role, admitting, "I really want to do it."

I mean, it's a tricky character. The hardcore fans know this world and this character specifically — I don't know if the rest of the world does. So, it's like, how do we enter into that and get it so it doesn't lose its essence, but, at the same time, how do you do it with the right story? And I think the fans really need to speak up and say, hey, what do they want to see.

Patrick Dempsey Wants to Play Doctor Strange

Grey's Anatomy actor Patrick Dempsey hasn't appeared in many comic book movies, but is attempting to win fanboy favor in Michael Bay's upcoming sequel Transformers 3. Dempsey is hoping his appearance will translate into other comic book movie roles, particularly Doctor Strange, the surgeon turned sorcerer (supreme). Dempsey admitted to The LA Times that he is openly "lobbying" for the role of the Marvel Comics hero.

There’s a whole bunch of people [among the Grey's' crew] who are into comics and Marvel, too, on the set and they’re like, "Doctor Strange, that’s the one you should do." It would be fantastic. It’d be a great TV show, especially for HBO or something like that. I don’t know if I’d necessarily do another show, a drama, that’s 24 episodes again. HBO you’re at 13 and I think that’s much better. It’s just so hard to sustain the quality after three years if you’re doing 24, 25 episodes a year. It all depends on who you have as a writing team — it’s how you set it up, what’s the tone and making sure you’re not locked into this one-season success [mentality], you can’t be afraid to think beyond that.

Marvel's Post-Avengers Slate Getting Strange

Marvel Entertainment struck gold with 2008's Iron Man, even though the character initially lacked the same popularity as other Spider-Man or Wolverine. With Thor and The First Avenger: Captain America slated for the summer of 2011, and The Avengers following in 2012, Marvel has a busy couple years ahead of them, and has no plans of stopping.

In April, a report stated that Marvel and parent company Disney were planning movies for their secondary, less recognizable characters in the lower-budget (for Hollywood, anyway) range of $20-40 million dollars to be shot post-Avengers. Marvel may be altering that plan with another strategy.

Will Marvel Ever Make a Doctor Strange Movie?

Marvel Entertainment President Kevin Feige has said that a Doctor Strange movie would "kick ass," while Stan Lee, who co-created the character in 1963, made a "promise" to MTV during San Diego Comic-Con that Doctor Strange would be one of Marvel's future projects. But how realistic is a Doctor Strange movie? So far, the character hasn't found much success in Hollywood adaptations. A TV pilot made in the 1970s failed to launch a regular series, while a 2007 animated movie debuted on DVD to mixed reviews.

Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada explained the character's limited appeal to a crowd at the Big Apple Comic-Con. Quesada said that, while Doctor Strange often appears in Marvel comics titles, Strange is "one of a small handful of characters that whenever you see them guest star, you go, Oh! Doctor Strange! I wish he had his own series.' Then we launch a series, and nobody buys it." The Doctor hasn't had his own monthly Marvel comic since 1996, and is constantly being reinvented by Marvel in hopes that fans will eventually support the character on a monthly basis.

With Marvel working on a full slate of movies, including Iron Man 2, Thor, and The First Avenger: Captain America, that are leading to an Avengers movie in 2012, projects like Doctor Strange and Ant-Man aren't a high priority for Marvel. But Lee believes they "just have to get to [Doctor Strange]," continuing that, "Every one of the characters — they're [Marvel] not going to let one go. Why should they?"

With Marvel finding huge success with the lesser-known character Iron Man, Doctor Strange definitely has a chance. But without enough of a fan base to support a comic book, there's a good reason why Ant-Man already has a script from Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright while Doctor Strange still has nothing.