Doctor Strange
The impossibilities are endless.
Doctor Strange (2016)
Production
Budget
$165 000 000
Revenue
$677 718 395
Director
Scenario
Composer
Producer
Actors
Benedict Cumberbatch
Dr. Stephen Strange
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Mordo
Rachel McAdams
Dr. Christine Palmer
Benedict Wong
Wong
Mads Mikkelsen
Kaecilius
Tilda Swinton
The Ancient One
Michael Stuhlbarg
Dr. Nicodemus West
Benjamin Bratt
Jonathan Pangborn
Short description
Doctor Strange centers on Stephen Strange, a highly skilled but arrogant neurosurgeon whose hands are left unusable after a severe car accident. When conventional medicine fails him, he travels abroad in search of a cure and instead finds Kamar-Taj, a place where he learns that reality is far larger than he believed and that dark forces are working to destroy it. Trained by the Ancient One, he must decide between reclaiming his old life and taking up the defense of the world.
The film is directed by Scott Derrickson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jon Spaihts and C. Robert Cargill, and produced by Kevin Feige for Marvel Studios. It sits between Derrickson's Deliver Us from Evil and The Black Phone in his filmography. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Strange, with Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo, Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer, Benedict Wong as Wong, Mads Mikkelsen as Kaecilius and Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One. The production involved 45 credited cast members and 251 credited crew.
Released in October 2016 and running 115 minutes, the film belongs to the action, adventure and fantasy genres. Against a budget of 180 million USD, it earned 676 million USD worldwide. On IMDb it holds 7.5/10 from 874,000 votes and on TMDB 7.4/10 from 23,941 votes, while a critics' rating stands at 7.3/10 from 385 reviews, showing broad approval from audiences and critics alike.
What's left behind the scenes
- Benedict Cumberbatch initially declined the role of Stephen Strange due to commitments to other projects. He agreed to take the part only after learning that the film’s release date had been moved from July to November 2016.
- To get into shape for filming, Benedict Cumberbatch actively went to the gym with a personal trainer, drank protein shakes, and ate a high-calorie diet.
- For the role of the Ancient One, the filmmakers initially planned to invite Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, or Bill Nighy.
- Actor Patrick Dempsey expressed a desire to play Stephen Strange on screen.
- Gary Oldman and Mads Mikkelsen were considered for the role of Baron Mordo.
- There were rumors at one point that Simon Baker would play the role of Baron Mordo.
- The Ancient One's realm is located in the snows of the northern Himalayas.
- Principal photography began in Nepal on November 4, 2015, under the working title "Checkmate," in the vicinity of the Kathmandu Valley. The crew visited temples in Pashupatinath and Swayambhunath. Subsequently, filming took place in Thamel, New Road in Kathmandu, and Durbar Square in Patan. In November 2015, the crew moved to Longcross Studios in the United Kingdom and remained there until March 2016. Some scenes were filmed in Hell's Kitchen, New York, while additional scenes were shot at Pinewood-Shepperton and Shepperton Studios in the UK in December 2015, and then moved to London and Hong Kong. From April 2016, filming took place near the Flatiron Building in New York. Principal photography concluded on April 3, 2016.
- Stephen Strange underwent training in a monastery in Asia before becoming the greatest sorcerer on Earth. Benedict Cumberbatch himself spent a year between school and university, volunteering as an English teacher at a Buddhist monastery in Darjeeling, India. The actor said that the time he spent in India had a huge impact on his life, and that in preparing for the role of Strange, he relied on this experience.
- At one time or another, Colin Farrell, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tom Hardy, Ethan Hawke, Jack Huston, Oscar Isaac, Jared Leto, Matthew McConaughey, Ewan McGregor, Keanu Reeves, Justin Theroux, Jon Hamm, Johnny Depp, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were considered for the role of Doctor Strange (confirmation for some actors is still pending).
- According to actor Benedict Cumberbatch, he suffered greatly from overeating during filming. The role of Stephen Strange required abundant five meals a day and numerous snacks so that Benedict could maintain the necessary physical shape and have enough energy for complex stunts and long shifts.
- Benedict Cumberbatch admitted that he was most attracted to the spirituality of the role of Doctor Strange. “The spiritual dimension is exactly what interests me,” he stated. “It's part of my own life. I meditate a lot. It’s a very useful practice that allows me to calm down, disconnect from a busy life, and focus on becoming kinder and more attentive to others.”
- As producer Kevin Feige recounted, the concept of magic in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was borrowed from the Wachowskis’ film “The Matrix” (1999) and the works of Stanley Kubrick and Hayao Miyazaki. “Have you watched the science documentary series ‘Cosmos’ (1980)? That's magic. It's contained in quantum physics. You just have to study it from beginning to end, and the line between science and magic will be erased... This approach isn’t used in Harry Potter, but if a scientist went to Hogwarts, they would definitely figure out how some of what they see there works! We won't delve that deeply into this topic, but we won't ignore it either. This is especially important for a character like Strange, who transforms from a man of science into a man of faith and who moves between both worlds,” said Feige. “But finding answers to the questions that interest us is not always possible. Sometimes we ask ‘How does this work?’ but find no answer.”
- This is the first film where Doctor Strange is the main character, however, his presence could already be noticed in previous films. In Kenneth Branagh’s “Thor” (2011), the Eye of Agamotto is among the treasures in Odin’s treasury. In Alan Taylor’s “Thor 2: The Dark World,” the word “Nexus” is written on Dr. Selvig’s board (among other things). This refers to a reality in another dimension from numerous comics in the “Doctor Strange” series. In Anthony Russo and Joe Russo’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2014), Agent Jasper Sitwell names Stephen Strange among other characters that the organization “Hydra” has been monitoring.
- The character's creators, screenwriter Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, incorporated many features of actor Vincent Price (1911-1993) into Doctor Strange's appearance. Doctor Strange's middle name is also "Vincent".
- "Doctor Strange" (2016) is the fourteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe produced by Marvel Studios.
- Doctor Strange's costume is similar to the one the hero wears in the comic books, but it was modified somewhat to better conform to the standards of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- Cinematographer Ben Davis admitted that the experimental Disney feature-length animated film "Fantasia" (1940) had a strong influence on the film. "It's very psychedelic, and the action mostly takes place in other dimensions."
- This is the second film produced by Marvel Studios to simultaneously feature actors from two different adaptations of Sherlock Holmes stories. Benedict Cumberbatch played the famous detective in the television series "Sherlock" (2010), and Rachel McAdams starred as Irene Adler in Guy Ritchie's 2009 film "Sherlock Holmes." Robert Downey Jr., who played Iron Man in Marvel Studios films, also starred in this film. The last such film to date is "Captain America: Civil War" (2016) by Anthony and Joe Russo, which featured Martin Freeman. In the television series "Sherlock" (2010), Freeman played Dr. Watson, the protagonist’s partner.
- Chiwetel Ejiofor became the second Black actor to play Baron Mordo. The first was Kevin Michael Richardson, who voiced the character in the animated film "Doctor Strange and the Sorcerer Supreme" (2007).
- On September 21, 2012, American writer George R. R. Martin, author of the fantasy novel series "A Song of Ice and Fire," expressed a desire to write the screenplay for the film. The studio declined, because Martin intended to separate Strange from the characters of other films in the cinematic universe, and also demanded a contract stipulating that the screenplay he wrote could not be changed, and the franchise would never be rebooted.
- In the comics, the Ancient One is depicted as an old man. In the film, the role is played by a woman. This was the decision of director Scott Derrickson, who believed that "the Ancient One" is primarily a title, and the gender of its bearer is irrelevant.
- Benedict Cumberbatch also played the role of Dormammu – he himself suggested this idea to the director. The director found it interesting, as Dormammu is the complete opposite of Strange at the time of their meeting: he is a perfect egoist, while Strange is already ready for self-sacrifice. Thus, in this scene, Strange comes to negotiate with himself.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
