Scott Derrickson is opening up about how Joaquin Phoenix almost played Stephen Strange in 2016’s Doctor Strange.
Speaking with /Film, Derrickson confirmed that he spent a good amount of time with Phoenix when searching for an actor to play the titular Marvel superhero in 2016’s Doctor Strange.
“I spent a couple of long afternoons with [Phoenix] and really was really impressed with him personally and his thought process,” Derrickson recalled. “This is what I’ll say: I think he was giving, I think he was opening his mind to the possibility. I think he was investigating the possibility. What happened, just to be clear, we offered the movie to Benedict [Cumberbatch]. I wanted Benedict. That was my choice for the role. I flew all the way to London to try to talk him into doing it. What it came down to was that it was a summer movie, and Benedict had committed to doing ‘Hamlet’ in London theater.”
Thinking that Cumberbatch would be unable to play the part because of his commitments to Hamlet, Derrickson and Phoenix continued conversing.
Scott Derrickson says Joaquin Phoenix ‘probably never belonged in the MCU’
“I met with a bunch of actors, and Joaquin was the one that I spent the most time with,” Derrickson continued. “As we continued to talk, it became clear to me that Joaquin didn’t really belong in that movie and probably never belonged in the MCU. He’s a very specific guy with very specific goals as an actor, and a very specific way of performing. I think it became clear to both of us that this might not be a good fit, really is what it came down to.
“So after giving that a shot — we didn’t have a script, either. Keep that in mind. I think what he was very nervous about was he’d be committing to multiple movies, which is not the kind of thing he’s ever done. I just went back to Kevin [Feige] and I just said, “We have to move the date because it’s got to be Benedict.” Kevin went to Bob Iger and Alan Horn, and told them what I said. To their credit, they moved the date and it became a fall movie.”
Following Doctor Strange, Cumberbatch reprised his Marvel Studios role in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War, 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, and 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, all of which are streaming on Disney+.
