Deadline is reporting that Marvel Studios and Joaquin Phoenix have ended negotiations for the Oscar-nominated actor to play Doctor Strange.
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Phoenix dropping out the role was alluded in previous reports from other sources. However, where those reports suggested that Ethan Hawke was close to signing a deal to take the role, Deadline’s report suggests that those rumors are “wild speculation” and that Marvel is being forced to begin the hunt again from the start.
The report implies that Phoenix, who stars in the new Paul Thomas Andersen film Inherent Vice, simply couldn’t see himself fitting into the superhero blockbuster, comic-con culture of the Marvel Studios universe and press machine, even though Marvel felt he was a perfect fit for the role.
The report does state that Marvel has already begun the search and is in early talks with several contenders. Prior to Phoenix taking the lead, Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Jared Leto were all rumored to be considering the role, but there’s no confirmation that those talk have resumed, if they were ever actually taking place to begin with.
