14 DAY TRIAL // Disney’s D23 Expo 2015 is now underway and day 2 of it brought major surprises for fans and representatives of the media, with the biggest being the first official look at “Doctor Strange.” The film, part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), is slated for a December 2016 release.
Until the Expo, fans knew that Benedict Cumberbatch would be playing lead and that Tilda Swinton had been cast as The Ancient one, a decision that ruffled some feathers because, in the comics, the character is male.
Scott Derrickson is directing.
Doctor Strange is exactly what you’d expect, and more
Cumberbatch made a surprise appearance with a video call, since he’s tied in London playing Hamlet and couldn’t make the flight to the US. He talked about his excitement about the role and how certain he was it would live up to fans’ expectations because it had a bit of everything, including explosions and, of course, magic.
Concept artwork of him in character was shown and it was true to the comic books. Even if the final costume differs a bit from what was shown, it would still have a lot in common with the original in the comics.
The story laid out for the audience was that Strange was a doctor whose hands are mangled in an accident, making it impossible for him to continue working. He turns for help to The Ancient One and learns magic.
As a bonus, footage was shown of Cumberbatch in character, using his hands to create magic.
“Inception” inspiration
There were also scenes (artwork and animatics) that bore a certain “Inception” feel, Slash Film says “got the crazy images, of cars and whole highways of vehicles floating in formation with no pavement, insane-looking buildings moving in warped patterns that recall Inception. There were very surreal-looking visions of planets and other sights that could be intergalactic, or simply other-dimensional.”
Disney is yet to release any of the material shown at the Expo online, and chances are it never will do so officially because this is material not meant for public consumption. However, leaks are quite common with this type of events, so we should expect something to pop up online in the following hours.
On tape, Cumberbatch teases that DOCTOR STRANGE will have "girls, cars, explosions, and a bit of astral projecting into multiple dimensions"
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) August 15, 2015
DOCTOR STRANGE concept art had Benedict in the traditional outfit, complete with cape, and even some gray at his temples #D23Expo
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) August 15, 2015
Final shot of STRANGE: strange doing energy blasts from his hands. In art Strange is drawn as Cumberbatch, grey temples. #D23Expo
— Devin Faraci (@devincf) August 15, 2015