Doctor Strange Movie Will Include Origin Story According To Kevin Feige

Over a year ago, an entertainment blogger claimed the latest Doctor Strange script wasn’t an origin story. It would begin with him being the Sorcerer Supreme and go from there. In fact, that person went on to claim that Marvel was done with origin stories all together. But now, Marvel President Kevin Feige has snuffed out those rumors and assured fans that we’ll see Strange go from an arrogant surgeon to an enlightened sorcerer.

“For some reason people sometimes talked about how we’re not doing an origin story, we’re bored of origin stories. I think people are bored of origin stories they’ve seen before or origin stories that are overly familiar,” Feige told IGN at Tuesday’s press event. “Doctor Strange has one of the best, most classic, most unique origin stories of any hero we have, so why wouldn’t we do that? That was sort of always the plan. How you tell that origin, perhaps there are ways to twist it or play with that, but for the most part, it’s a gift when the comics have something with such clarity of story and of character. That doesn’t always happen in the comics, and when it does, you use it.”

Audiences will finally get to experience Marvel’s magical side in the film, as well as alternate dimensions. That’s a lot to take in. Feige says we’ll experience those elements as Strange does and “to a certain extent” with Rachel McAdams’ unannounced role.

“She plays a very, very big part in the movie and represents a certain point of view of the worlds that we experience in that movie,” Feige explained, “but Doctor Strange, without a doubt, is the character we follow through the movie.”

Perhaps the boldest casting choice, so far, is Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One. However, nobody is quite sure if the chameleon-like actress will play the character as a man or a woman. When Feige was asked this, he replied, “I think you’ll see us playing it in ways that she’s played other characters that way. Clearly she’s a woman, but it is very ambiguous in her portrayal.”

Filming will begin in London, England in November. Scott Derrickson is directing with a cast that includes Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange, Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo and Rachel McAdams as to-be-announced.

Marvel’s Dr. Strange will cast a spell on audiences November 4, 2016.