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Gort in Galway has the highest percentage of migrants in Ireland. This documentary simply lets people talk to camera – to wonderful effect

Irish film-maker Treasa O’Brien has created a valuable and empathic documentary essay project about history, memory and community; it is executive produced by The Act of Killing’s Josh Oppenheimer, whose influence is detectable in one verbatim-cinema-type “dream re-enactment” scene (although I must say that this is the one creative avenue that doesn’t really go anywhere).

Town of Strangers is set in the town of Gort in County Galway, perhaps best known for being the site of Coole House, the home of Lady Gregory and the Irish literary revival of Yeats, Synge, O’Casey and Shaw. None of that is mentioned, however: O’Brien focuses on its 21st-century distinction of having Ireland’s highest percentage of migrants. O’Brien auditions for people to come and be involved in her documentary,...

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Experience the exhilarating adventures of the legendary heroes in the most amazing picture quality available today when both Conan the Barbarian and The Legend of Hercules arrive separately on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray™ and Digital HD) on September 19 from Lionsgate. In Conan the Barbarian, Jason Momoa portrays the vengeful warrior on a quest to find and kill the evil warlord who murdered his father when he was a boy. Directed by Marcus Nispel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and written by Tehomas Dean Donnelly & Joshua Oppenheimer and Sean Hood, the film also stars Stephen Lang, Rose McGowan, Rachel Nichols, and Ron Perlman. From director Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2) and written by Sean Hood and Daniel Giat, The Legend of Hercules, a Summit Entertainment release, tells the origin story of the mythical Greek hero, played by Kellan Lutz.

Both movies are available for the first time on 4K Ultra HD,...

Dedicated to the discovery of new works by emerging and dynamic filmmaking talent, this year’s New Directors/New Films festival will screen 29 features and nine short films. This year’s lineup boasts nine North American premieres, seven U.S. premieres, and two world premieres, with features and shorts from 32 countries across five continents.

The opening, centerpiece, and closing night selections showcase three exciting new voices in American independent cinema that all recently debuted at Sundance: Geremy Jasper’s “Patti Cake$” is the opening night pick, while Eliza Hittman’s “Beach Rats” is the centerpiece selection and Dustin Guy Defa will close the festival with “Person to Person.”

Read More: 2017 New Directors/New Films Announces Full Lineup, Including ‘Patti Cake$,’ ‘Beach Rats,’ ‘Menashe’ and More

Now in its forty-sixth year, Nd/Nf has played home early films from such heavy hitters as Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Chantal Akerman, Pedro Almodovar,...

Yance Ford’s new documentary “Strong Island” walked away from last month’s Sundance Film Festival with a very appropriate recognition: a special jury prize for storytelling. The filmmaker used the documentary to work through the heart-wrenching crime that took his brother’s life nearly a quarter-decade ago, crafting an intensely personal and unique storytelling conceit along the way.

Read More: ‘Strong Island’ Review: Yance Ford’s Powerful and Personal Look at Race in America — Sundance Review

Twenty-four years ago, Ford’s brother William was shot and killed by a 19-year-old white mechanic over a dispute involving a car repair. The mechanic claimed self-defense against William, who was unarmed at the time, and the man was set free. The doc is not just an investigation into the shooting, but a searing and insightful look into the racism that influenced the story and the injustice of how William became a prime suspect in his own death.

This year’s Sundance Film Festival is mere days from unspooling in snowy Park City, Utah and, with it comes a brand new year of indie filmmaking to get excited about. As ever, the annual festival is playing home to dozens of feature films, short offerings and technologically-influenced experiences, and while there’s plenty to anticipate seeing, we’ve waded through the lineup to pick out the ones we’re most looking forward to checking out.

From returning filmmakers like Alex Ross Perry and Gillian Robesepierre to a handful of long-gestating passion projects and at least one film about a ghost, we’ve got a little something for every stripe of film fan.

Read More: Sundance 2017: Check Out the Full Lineup, Including Competition Titles, Premieres and Shorts

Ahead, check out 20 titles we’re excited to finally check out at this year’s festival.

“Landline”

The trifecta behind previous Sundance...

This past summer, Universal Pictures' parent company NBCUniversal acquired DreamWorks Animation for $3.8 billion, with Universal Pictures inheriting the studio's slate of projects in development. One of these projects was actually a live-action adaptation of Voltron, which was being quietly developed at the studio. Today we have word that the project is in fact moving forward at Universal, with the studio setting X-Men and Watchmen writer David Hayter to write the script.

Deadline reports that Tom Engleman (The Chronicles of Riddick, The Lone Ranger) is set to produce. DreamWorks Animation is also behind the animated series Voltron: Legendary Defender, which debuted on Netflix this summer. It isn't known if there will be any connection between the live-action project and the animated series.

There had previously been a live action project called Voltron: Defender of the Universe, which was being developed by Atlas Entertainment several years ago. Thomas Dean DOnnelly and...

Kate Plays Christine screens Sunday, Nov. 6 at 1:00pm at .Zack (3224 Locust Avenue). Kate Plays Christine Director Robert Greene will be in attendance. Ticket information can be found Here .

A gripping, nonfiction psychological thriller, Robert Greene’s Kate Plays Christine follows actress Kate Lyn Sheil (“House of Cards,” “The Girlfriend Experience,” “Listen Up Philip”) as she prepares for her next role: playing Christine Chubbuck, a Florida newscaster who committed suicide live on-air in 1974. As Kate investigates Chubbuck’s story (long rumored to be the inspiration for the classic Hollywood film “Network”), uncovering new clues and information, she becomes increasingly obsessed with her subject. Winner of a Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, Kate Plays Christine is a cinematic mystery that forces us to question everything we see and everything we’re led to believe. Greene — filmmaker-in-chief at the Murray Center for Documentary Journalism at the Missouri School of...

All sorts of weird stuff starts happening as Theroux reiterates the sheer nastiness of the organisation in his provocative documentary

The Church of Scientology is a deeply strange organisation and, appropriately enough, Louis Theroux has made a strange film about it. It works as a companion piece to another documentary, the one that I think is the definitive takedown: Alex Gibney’s Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, from 2015. It’s an interesting, if flawed piece of work; Theroux’s opaque manner masks an uncertainty as to exactly what he wants to say, and he finally seems to turn on his own chief witness.

Theroux’s Scientology movie is undoubtedly a smart piece of what could be called improv-ocation. He shows up in La, advertising his intention to film a series of scripted and unscripted scenes recreating key moments from the life of the Scientologists’ sinister chief, David Miscavige.

After nearly seven years in development, Sony's Uncharted movie adaptation is moving forward once again. The studio has brought on writer-director Joe Carnahan to write the script for this video game adaptation, but unfortunately he won't be directing at this time. The filmmaker stated that he would love to direct this project "in a perfect world," but right now, he's only set to write the script.

The last we heard about this project was in June 2015, when Seth Gordon dropped out as the director. Variety reports that Joe Carnahan's involvement with Sony's Bad Boys 3, which starts filming early next year after Will Smith wraps on Bright, makes the filmmaker unavailable to direct. Here's what Joe Carnahan told the site about this project.

"In a perfect world I would love to do both, but right now, I'm only on board to write the script. Archaeology today is in itself an antiquity,...

Despite essentially being stuck in development hell for years now, Sony Pictures is still moving ahead with a big-screen adaptation of Uncharted! Variety is reporting that Joe Carnahan has signed on to pen the latest draft of the script for the upcoming adaptation of the wildly popular Playstation-exclusive video game series. Carnahan is now the latest in a long line of writers to have worked on at least one iteration or another of the film's script, following Mark Boal (Zero Dark Thirty), who was the most recent person to complete a draft, David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook), Thomas Dean Donnelly (Sahara), Joshua Oppenheimer (Sahara), David Guggenheim (Safe House), and Cormac & Marianne Wibberley (National Treasure). Carnahan also revealed that he's "only on board to write the script" and not direct due to scheduling conflicts with his upcoming production Bad Boys 3, which would seemingly suggest that Sony plans on starting...

Way back in 2012, Warner Bros. announced they were moving forward on a Mandrake the Magician movie, based on the iconic comic strip created by Lee Falk that debuted in 1934. We haven't heard anything further about this project in the four years since then, but now it seems to be moving forward, with Sacha Baron Cohen coming aboard to star. Ethan Cohen, who made his directorial debut last year with Get Hard, is attached to direct.

The original comic strip followed the title character, an illusionist and a powerful hypnotist. He uses his abilities to fight crime with Lothar, one of the strongest men in the world. Universal Pictures produced a 12-part serial based on the comic strip in 1939, but the character has not been seen on the big screen ever since. There was also a 1954 TV movie based on the character that starred Coe Norton, but now it seems Mandrake...

Kirsten Howard Rob Leane Simon Brew James Hunt Jan 10, 2017

The official disc announcement for Doctor Strange confirms the film's bonus features...

Doctor Strange DVD and Blu-Ray release date

We’ve got a date for the discs, that's now been confirmed. Amazon in the UK has started taking pre-orders for the film with a March 6th 2017 release date for the DVD and Blu-ray now listed. The official list of Blu-ray extra features reads thus:

See related Michael Keaton headed to Kong: Skull Island Looking back at Peter Jackson's King Kong Godzilla Vs King Kong set for 2020

Featurettes:

• A Strange Transformation – Open your eye to a new dimension of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and see how the filmmakers brought one of comic books’ greatest characters to life.

• Strange Company – Find out what it’s like for the cast to work on a Marvel film, and how Director Scott Derrickson engineered one of the most ambitious,...

Filmmaker Scott Derrickson is re-teaming with his "Sinister" co-writer C. Robert Cargill on Marvel's upcoming "Doctor Strange" film.

The film has gone through several different writers over the years with early drafts by Thomas Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer and Jon Spaihts. Cargill took to social media today to announce that he's been working on the project for the past year.

So yeah. It's finally out in the wild. I've been working on this for the better part of the last year. pic.twitter.com/BTZDaItsbt

— C. Robert Cargill (@Massawyrm) December 14, 2015

Filming on "Doctor Strange" has been underway for quite a few weeks now with a Nepal location shoot already wrapped and current filming now taking place on sound stages in the U.K.

Cargill and Derrickson previously teamed on scripts for a new "The Outer Limits" film and a movie adaptation of the "Deus Ex" video game series.

In related news,...

Doctor Strange has been shooting for a while now, but it only today was it revealed that the movie has landed a new writer. Sinister scribe C. Robert Cargill took to Twitter and Facebook earlier to confirm that he’s secretly been working on the screenplay for director Scott Derrickson (who he worked with on Sinister) and Marvel Studios for the past year.

“It’s not a secret anymore. For those of you who don’t know what I’ve been doing for the past year, I’ve been writing Doctor Strange for Marvel Studios,” said Cargill. “And I couldn’t be happier or prouder. Our cast and crew are amazing and I’m having the best time.”

It’s genuinely very surprising that this has been kept under wraps for so long, especially as this is the kind of story which quickly finds its way into the trades. Regardless,...

Looks like Marvel's Doctor Strange has a new writer. Prometheus scribe Jon Spaihts and Thomas Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer (2013’s Conan the Barbarian) have written earlier drafts of the screenplay, but now news has broken that C. Robert Cargill (Sinister) has been working on the film for almost a year. Considering that the movie is already filming, it seems like Cargill's pass will be the final iteration of the screenplay. /Film points out that Cargill wrote the following on Facebook:

It’s not a secret anymore. For those of you who don’t know what I’ve been doing for the past year, I’ve been writing Doctor Strange for Marvel Studios. And I couldn’t be happier or prouder. Our cast and crew are amazing and I’m having the best time.…Squeeeeee!

So yeah. It's finally out in the wild. I've been working on this for the better part of the last year.

While Marvel Studios may have only recently announced the start of Doctor Strange's production, set photos taken in Nepal confirmed that the Phase 3 movie has actually been shooting for weeks. Now, as more details come out, Sinsiter writer C. Robert Cargill has taken to Twitter to confirm that he's spent the past year working on the screenplay for director Scott Derrickson. Expanding on the Tweet below, he also took to Facebook to say: "It’s not a secret anymore. For those of you who don’t know what I’ve been doing for the past year, I’ve been writing Doctor Strange for Marvel Studios. And I couldn’t be happier or prouder. Our cast and crew are amazing and I’m having the best time." These guys have a fair bit of history together, as does the Doctor Strange script. After intially being penned by Thomas Donnelly and...

"He's got an incredibly complicated emotional structure going on." Marvel has released a very short, but nonetheless fascinating featurette on the story of Doctor Strange. Production is now underway in London on Doctor Strange, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the Sorcerer Supreme. This featurette is less than 60-seconds and only includes discussions about the characters and some glimpses at concept art, but no real footage is available yet. Scott Derrickson is directing the film. The full cast includes Rachel McAdams, Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen, Scott Adkins & Chiwetel Ejiofor. Get your first Strange introduction below. Here's the very first featurette on Marvel's Doctor Strange movie, now in production, found on YouTube: Marvel's Doctor Strange, with Scott Derrickson directing, just went into production this year with a release date set for November 4th, 2016 late next year. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Doctor Strange and Tilda Swinton plays The Ancient One. The script was originally...

By Scott Feinberg

The Hollywood Reporter

A handful of the 15 films that made the Academy’s best documentary feature Oscar shortlist on Tuesday were among the big winners at Saturday night’s 31st Ida Documentary Awards, which the International Documentary Association presented on the Paramount lot.

Best feature went to The Look of Silence, the second part of Josh Oppenheimer‘s diptych about the Indonesian genocide, two years after his film, The Act of Killing, was nominated for but lost both the Ida’s and Academy’s top doc prizes. Listen to Me Marlon, Stevan Riley‘s chronicle of the life of Marlon Brando that uses the legendary actor’s own words, won best writing. And Best of Enemies, from Oscar winner Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom) and Robert Gordon, won best music and was presented with the ABC News VideoSource Award.

Read the rest of this entry…...

A handful of the 15 films that made the Academy's best documentary feature Oscar shortlist on Dec. 1 were among the big winners at Saturday night's 31st Ida Documentary Awards, presented by International Documentary Association on the Paramount lot. Best feature went to The Look of Silence, the second part of Josh Oppenheimer's diptych about the Indonesian genocide, coming two years after the first film, The Act of Killing, was nominated for but lost both the Ida and Academy's top doc prizes. Listen to Me Marlon, Stevan Riley's chronicle of the life of Marlon Brando that uses the legendary actor's own

read more...

In some respects, the transition of the Marvel Cinematic Universe into its next phase puts audiences at something of a crossroads. It could be argued that the ‘old’ titles, such as Captain America and Avengers, are now more heavily reliant on brand loyalty – having so successfully built that brand with previous movies – while the ground is being prepared for the arrival of ‘new’ titles, such as Black Panther and Captain Marvel. Ant Man was one of the first of those ‘new’ titles, and was well received earlier this year, but with that movie checked off the list, all eyes are now on Doctor Strange, which is set to begin production in November 2015.

Little has been revealed about the film, beyond the casting of Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role, Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo, and Rachel McAdams as an undisclosed character. We also know...

Though The Avengers: Age of Ultron felt much more like the closing of a chapter, it was the release of Ant-Man last month that officially concluded Marvel Studios' Phase Two.

We've all heard plenty about Captain America: Civil War, which will kick off Phase Three, but what of the movie that will follow in its sizable footsteps?

Below, Digital Spy rounds up everything we know so far about Doctor Strange.

When's it out?

Doctor Strange is scheduled for release on October 28, 2016 in the UK, and a week later in the Us on November 4. Principal photography is due to start in November in London.

The release date has already been pushed back from the previously-announced July slot, presumably to accommodate the star's notoriously packed schedule.

What's it about?

Guardians of the Galaxy was widely billed as Marvel's "anti-superhero movie", and Marvel Studios certainly have form with roguish anti-heroes given that...

Has Doctor Strange found its female lead? Rumor has it the studio has offered Rachel McAdams the starring role opposite of Benedict Cumberbatch in the highly anticipated Marvel film, which is slated for a Nov. 4, 2016 release. However, no official casting announcement regarding McAdam's character has been made just yet. Thus far there's been a wall of secrecy surrounding the future film, save for the fact that Scott Derrickson has signed on to direct with Jon Spaihts penning the script. The first draft of the Doctor Strange screenplay was written by Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer. Doctor Strange tells the story of Stephen Strange, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko...

As it closes in on its second consecutive season-long victory in the key adult 18-49 demographic, NBC unveils a new 2015-16 primetime schedule that combines popular returning series, edge-of-your-seat new dramas, inventive new comedies and season nine of the Emmy Award-winning musical competition series The Voice. NBC is on track to win the traditional September-to-May primetime season in adults 18-49 for the second year in a row after having gone the prior 10 years without an 18-49 win. Through 32 completed weeks of the season, NBC also ranks #1 or tied for #1 among the Big 4 networks in adults and men 18-34 and men and women 18-49.

In total viewers, NBC is running #2 for the season and within 7% of its year-ago Olympics-boosted average (8.8 million vs. 9.5 million), making this season and last NBC's two top-scoring seasons in total viewers since 2006-07. NBC has won the last three November sweeps in adults 18-49, as well as...

According to The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Years a Slave star Chiwetel Ejiofor is being courted by Marvel to take on an unspecified role in Doctor Strange. Ejiofor could join Benedict Cumberbatch, who is starring as the surgeon turned sorcerer supreme Stephen Strange, aka Doctor Strange.

Marvel had no comment as talks are said to be in the early stages.

The site also says that he could be taking on the villain role of the film but some of their sources have said that's not the case. The villain is likely to be classic bad guy Baron Karl Mordo, a sorcerer’s pupil whose next-in-line status is usurped by Doctor Strange, thus making him the physician’s fierce rival.

The film is based on the Marvel Comics character created by Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko. Stephen Strange beset by demons controlled by apprentice sorcerer Karl Mordo, but was rescued by Mordo's mentor,...

Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt has officially passed on the video game adaption Uncharted for Sony. But not all is lost, as the studio moves forward on the project by hiring Oscar-winning screenwriter Mark Boal, the driving force behind Zero Dark Thirty and The Hurt Locker.

Horrible Bosses and Identity Thief director Seth Gordon is taking on this big screen adventure based on the popular franchise Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. David Guggenheim (Stolen; Safe House; the upcoming Narco Sub and Bad Boys 3) wrote the most recent draft, with Mark Boal being set up to finish the job. He will do a three week polish.

&#8232While Uncharted might seem like an odd fit for the more reality based writer, Mark Boal is a self-proclaimed fan of the video game. And he will help continue to see the studio's vision of Uncharted as a swashbuckling Indiana Jones type adventure.

The...

Sony has hired Zero Dark Thirty's scribe Mark Boal to pen the video game adaptation Uncharted. The film is set to be directed by Seth Gordon.

The video game centers on a treasure hunter named Nate Drake, a descendent of explorer Sir Francis Drake, who believes he has learned the whereabouts of the fabled golden South American city El Dorado from a cursed statue. His search for El Dorado becomes competitive when a rival hunter joins the fray. Both face creatures, mutated descendants of Spaniards and Nazis, that begin attacking those hoping to learn the treasure's true secrets.

Mark Wahlberg was previously attached to star. The studio was also went after Chris Pratt but he passed on the role. Other writers who have worked on the project include David O. Russell (he was also attached to direct), Thomas Dean Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, David Guggenheim and Cormac and Marianne Wibberley.

Sony are clamouring for a new franchise following the disappointment of The Amazing Spider-Man‘s second instalment. After the recent baffling rumour that the studio are planning a spinoff featuring Peter Parker’s quaint Aunt May as a feisty spy, today they’ve stepped up their game. Literally. Their long-awaited video game adaptation, Uncharted, is pushing forward with Zero Dark Thirty scribe Mark Boal onboard to tackle the screenplay.

Boal joins a long list of writers who have previously had a stab at the script. Thomas Dean Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, David Guggenheim and Marianne Wibberley all turned in drafts that failed to incite enthusiasm from the studio. Similarly, previously-attached director David O. Russell penned a draft which suffered a similar fate.

Where the continued problem exists in these versions is unknown, but the plague of problems the pic has already endured can’t be a promising sign. In addition to the wealth of writers,...

Everyone, calm down. It’s finally happened. Maybe. Probably. Oh, you know how these things go. Earlier this month, we reflected on the long, strange trip that had brought us to this crucial juncture in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: a Doctor Strange movie without, well, a Doctor Strange. Those days may now be over. Deadline reports that Benedict Cumberbatch is “the studio’s choice for the superhero pic, and negotiations are about to begin.” Again, no formal offers have been made, Cumberbatch has not accepted anything and nothing has been officially announced. Still, it’s no surprise that Marvel has acted relatively quickly to line up a new Sorcerer Supreme after their long-gestating chats with Joaquin Phoenix proved fruitless. The outlet doesn’t dispute rumors that other names were “in the mix,” including Jared Leto and Tom Hardy, but it should come as little shock that Cumberbatch has apparently come out on top. He...

Exclusive: Marvel has finally found its Doctor Strange. I’m hearing Benedict Cumberbatch is the studio’s choice for the superhero pic, and negotiations are about to begin. The news comes after talks with Joaquin Phoenix around the time of Comic-Con went south, and Marvel went back to the drawing board. With names like Jared Leto and Tom Hardy also in the mix, this is obviously a coveted role. I expect this deal to make.

Cumberbatch is in the Oscar hunt this year for The Imitation Game, the Alan Turing biopic that the Weinstein Co is priming for a November 21 release. His hot streak has included winning the Emmy for playing Sherlock Holmes on the BBC/PBS hit Sherlock.

Phoenix never had a deal, and Marvel quickly got into it with other actors to play Doctor Strange in a free-standing film.

Scott Derrickson is directing Doctor Strange and Jon Spaihts...

Exclusive: UTA has signed Joshua Oppenheimer, who burst on the scene as a major documentary directing voice for The Act Of Killing. The provocative and shocking docu featured interviews with members of death squads responsible for the mass killings of close to a million people during a military coup in Indonesia during the 1960s. Nominated for an Oscar and winner of the BAFTA and over 70 international awards, Oppenheimer got these architects of genocide to reenact their horrific deeds as musical numbers or in whatever film genre they wanted.

UTA is the first agency to rep Oppenheimer, a recipient of a 2014 MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship. The film was released theatrically in 30 countries and screened in countless film festivals including Telluride, Toronto, and Berlin. Oppenheimer’s companion film, The Look of Silence, goes back to the scene of these crimes to follow the family of one of the victims confronting the killers 50 years later.

If only Marvel could conjure up some kind of magic — perhaps while someone wears a cape — to create a viable candidate to play their Doctor Strange in, uh, Doctor Strange (see! naming the movie is easy! why can’t casting be, too?). Rumors about a Doctor Strange film have swirled like so much mystical fog for years now, but the film is finally coming together for a 2016 release. One teensy problem, however? The feature still doesn’t have a leading man. Oops. We’ve been through, yes, entire years of chatter on this one, and still, no Doctor Strange. Will that change soon? (Well, yes, but haven’t we had fun getting there? No?) Behold! A brief history of trying to find a proper actor to play an iconic character as part of a multimillion dollar franchise! October, 2008: Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige admits that he’d love to see the good doc on the big...

Yesterday, a rumor started to make the rounds that Joaquin Phoenix was no longer interested in taking on the role of Doctor Strange for Marvel and Disney. Deadline now confirms that report.

The same rumor claimed that not only had Ethan Hawke been offered the title character after talks with Joaquin Phoenix broke down, but that he accepted over the weekend, with negotiations currently happening for a six-picture deal. This new report claims that is completely untrue, and it's not even clear if Ethan Hawke is in the running.

After a lengthy negotiation process that was supposed to be finalized leading into Comic-Con 2014 weekend this past July in San Diego, but has since stretched all the way into October, Marvel and Joaquin Phoenix just couldn't see eye to eye on what his role in the Marvel Universe should be. It should be noted that the actor never had a deal.

Marvel Studios‘ talks with Oscar nominee Joaquin Phoenix to play Doctor Strange are kaput. He never had a deal, but Marvel already is getting into it with other actors to play that superhero in a free-standing film. Don’t believe these talks that Boyhood‘s Ethan Hawke has made a deal to play the character; I’m told reliably that that is speculation run wild. I understand Marvel’s belief that Phoenix would have been great for that role, in keeping with putting solid actors in those hero roles. But Phoenix, whose latest, the Paul Thomas Anderson-directed Inherent Vice, opens this weekend at the New York Film Festival. I’m not sure Phoenix is a Comic-Con kind of guy. Before Marvel started talking with him, the major names in the mix included The Drop‘s Tom Hardy, The Imitation Game’s Benedict Cumberbatch and Dallas Buyers Club‘s Jared Leto,...

Exclusive: Marvel in advanced negotiations to send superhero film to Pinewood-Shepperton for mid-2015 shoot.

Marvel Studios is in advanced negotiations to shoot upcoming superhero film Doctor Strange at Pinewood-Shepperton, ScreenDaily understands.

Preparations on the ground are already in motion with crew being assembled for a move into Shepperton in late 2014/early 2015.

A tentative shoot date has been mooted for May 2015 with Marvel having reportedly dated the film’s release for July 8, 2016.

Scott Derrickson is due to direct the feature about the former neurosurgeon who serves as the Sorcerer Supreme - the primary protector of Earth against magical and mystical threats.

The character, who made his first appearance in the Marvel Universe more than 50 years ago, was first created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. A number of studios have tried to get a feature about him off the ground since the 1990s.

Doctor Strange has been described as “the mightiest magician in the cosmos” and “the most...

★★★☆☆The documentary deluge in which we are still mired is so often lazily acknowledged as "a positive thing". Our collective, unblinking admiration for the typical combination of liberal politics and gentle educational zeal has conditioned us to accept the creeping homogenisation of a cinematic from. We see more and more documentaries in the cinema and yet the medium has become distinctly unambitious, relying on over-familiar structural tedium and drably televisual aesthetics. We should demand more from the art form. Thank heavens then for the sporadic spice in the vanilla; the bucolic innovations of the Harvard Sensory Ethnography Lab and the intellectual confrontations of Werner Herzog and Josh Oppenheimer.

At the end of last month, Joaquin Phoenix emerged as an apparent contender for Marvel’s anticipated Doctor Strange, a film that the studio has had its eye on producing for quite some time now.

Recent weeks have proven fruitless in terms of an official announcement from the studio, with a rumour surfacing in the past couple of days that Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire) is circling the role. But rumours being rumours, especially when it comes to comic book movies, you have to take things with a pinch of salt.

And whilst the same goes for this latest news, the source is much more reliable, with a source close to the project describing Joaquin Phoenix as being very close to signing a contract to take the lead as Steven Strange, better known as Doctor Strange.

The character was of course name-dropped in the Marvel Cinematic Universe earlier this year when...

"This is not going to be twenty-minutes of him being a doctor" - Devin Faraci Back in June and July of 2013, Latino Review posted a couple of breakdowns regarding the Dr. Strange script that was written by Joshua Oppenheimer in 2010. Since then, Marvel has changed their Dr. Strange movie plans. They've recently hired Scott Derrickson ("Deliver Us From Evil") to direct it and hired screenwriter Jon Spaihts ("Prometheus") to work on the screenplay. Devin Faraci of Badass Digest appeared on Meet The Movie Press alongside Mark Reilly and Jeff Sneider. There, he revealed, Dr. Strange is not an origin story. "So, for Dr. Strange they've had a script in-house forever. It is a pretty standard origin story for Doctor Strange. It's got Baron Mordo as the bad guy. That's all gone. Marvel's new thing is no more origin stories. So, Dr. Strange movie no longer has an origin. It begins...

Although a Doctor Strange film is confirmed to be included in Marvel’s Phase 3, the movie still has no release date and cannot premiere until July 2016 at the earliest. Marvel enlisted Scott Derrickson (Deliver Us From Evil) to direct and Jon Spaihts (Prometheus) to revise the script written by Thomas Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer. With production to officially start in early 2015 and casting to begin soon, the project is one of Marvel’s most talked about, especially at San Diego Comic-Con, where we thought the studio might announce a release date for it.

Though Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, didn’t announce ...

Click to continue reading Kevin Feige Calls ‘Doctor Strange’ Movie a ‘Mind-Bending Acid Trip’...

Some possible casting news has just broken at Comic-Con as The Wrap has learned that Joaquin Phoenix is in early talks to star in Marvel’s Doctor Strange adaptation. The deal is said to be far from complete but insiders confirm that Phoenix is strongly considering the superhero role, which had previously been linked to Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hardy.

Scott Derrickson directs. Created in 1963, Doctor Strange is the story of an arrogant surgeon who is injured in a car accident and goes on to become the Sorcerer Supreme of the Marvel universe. Using his magical powers, Strange protects the Earth from attacks from other realms.

The first draft of the script was penned by Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer.

Marvel’s Kevin Feige is producing. Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Alan Fine, Stan Lee, and Stephen Broussard are executive producing.

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Move over Benedict Cumberbatch and those persistent rumors.  Marvel and director Scott Derrickson might have found their Doctor Strange.  Joaquin Phoenix is reportedly in talks to star in the titular role for Marvel's potential new franchise. I think this is perfect casting because I think Phoenix is essentially always a great choice.  He's one of the finest actors of our generation and can effortlessly disappear into pretty much any role.  Hit the jump for more on Joaquin Phoenix potentially playing Doctor Strange. Per The Wrap, multiple sources have confirmed that Phoenix is in discussions for the role.  Marvel is also expecting Jon Spaihts' rewrite of Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer's script to come in soon. What do you think of this potential casting?  Good choice?  Or did you want to see someone else in the role?  Does Phoenix have what it takes to play a neurosurgeon-turned-sorcerer living in Greenwich Village?...

Ever since Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige revealed that casting for Doctor Strange would begin within the next couple of months, the speculation as to who will be playing the eponymous sorcerer has reached fever pitch. Actors reportedly in the running include Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jared Leto, the latter of whom recently turned down the lead in sci-fi thriller Brilliance in a move that led many to believe he might have received on a better offer.

An earlier screenplay for Doctor Strange was penned by Thomas Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer, but it is now being revised by Prometheus writer Jon Spaihts – and when the cameras start rolling next spring, director Scott Derrickson will be in charge. This will mark ...

Click to continue reading ‘Doctor Strange’: Édgar Ramírez ‘Talking’ With the Director

The post ‘Doctor Strange’: Édgar Ramírez ‘Talking’ With the Director appeared first on Screen Rant.

While doing press for his upcoming supernatural thriller Deliver Us from Evil, &#201dgar Ram&#237rez was asked if he has been approached by director Scott Derrickson for a role in his next project, Marvel's Phase Three adventure Doctor Strange. The actor revealed that he actually has been talking with the filmmaker about joining the superhero adventure, although no specific details were revealed.

"We're talking. We've been talking."

It isn't known if &#201dgar Ram&#237rez may be taking on the title role of Stephen Strange himself, or possibly his nemesis, Baron Mordo. Jon Spaihts recently signed on to rewrite the original script by Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer, so it isn't even known of Baron Mordo will be included in the story.

Jared Leto has been mentioned as a possible front runner for the title role, especially after today's report that he passed on replacing Will Smith in Brilliance. Tom Hardy...

Shortly after Scott Derrickson signed on to direct Marvel's Phase Three adventure Doctor Strange earlier this month, an unconfirmed report revealed that the studio was eyeing Oscar winner Jared Leto for the title role. A few weeks later, the actor entered early talks to replace Will Smith in Legendary Pictures' Brilliance, although now the actor has turned down the role, which could be a sign that he is still in contention to play Doctor Strange.

Jared Leto met with Brilliance director Julius Onah last Monday, but he eventually passed on the project later in the week. Noomi Rapace is still attached to star in the adaptation of Marcus Sakey's novel, which takes place in a world were certain people known as "brilliants" are born with superhuman abilities.

It remains to be seen if Jared Leto turned down the role because he is still in contention for the Doctor Strange role.

Marvel has found a writer for their new Doctor Strange film.

The first draft of the film was scripted by Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer.  However, Deadline announced Marvel has been in contact with Jon Spaihts to re-write the first of several films starring Doctor Strange.  The short list of mystics up for the role are, Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Jared Leto.

Jon is working on The Mummy and The Black Hole remakes.  He is also known for Prometheus, which was "not a prequel" of the Alien franchise...let face it, it Was.

Deadline also reported that Marvel is trying to get production rolling as soon as possible.  This seems a little dangerous to me as this could spell disaster for the new franchise.

Comic Book MOVIEDoctor StrangeFilmJoshua OppenheimerThomas Dean DonnellyJon SpaihtsTom Hardybenedict cumberbatchJared LetoMARVEL COMICSMarvel Studios...

(Cbr) The selection of Scott Derrickson to helm Marvel’s long-discussed "Doctor Strange" may have caught some by surprise, but the director of "Sinister" and "Deliver Us From Evil" says he “genuinely felt like I was the right guy to do it.” “I think when you consider the work that I’ve done it makes sense that he’d be my favorite comic book character, at least in the Marvel Universe,” he tells JoBlo. “Probably the only comic character in that mainstream world that I’m suited to. I feel such an affinity for the character and the story and the ambition of those comics, especially the original Stan Lee and Steve Ditko 'Strange Tales' — I think those are my favorite of all of them. The entire history of the comics is extraordinary.” Derrickson says he’s been pleasantly surprised by the response to his selection. “I guess I expected the detractors,...

Earlier this month, Marvel picked Scott Derrickson as the director of Doctor Strange. The project about a neurosurgeon turned sorcerer and protecter of Earth is wasting no time picking up steam, as Marvel has announced the writer they want to craft the Doctor’s first big screen adventure.

According to Deadline, Marvel has set their sights on Jon Spaihts to work on the screenplay for Doctor Strange. A first draft of the movie’s screenplay, written by Thomas Dean Donnelly (Dylan Dog: Dead of Night, Sahara) and Joshua Oppenheimer (Dylan Dog: Dead of Night, Sahara), already exists. It’s likely that Spaihts would be brought on to do a script re-write. Spaihts has some key recent writing credits: he wrote The Mummy reboot for Universal and was the first writer to work on the Prometheus screenplay. Though Marvel and Spaihts are still in negotiations, expect an official announcement soon. Stay...

Prometheus co-writer Jon Spaihts is in early talks to write the script for Marvel’s Doctor Strange movie. Sources close to the project confirm Deadline’s report that Marvel is looking to Spaihts—the initial writer on Ridley Scott’s Alien prequel who’s also penning Universal’s upcoming Mummy reboot—to launch Strange as another potential franchise. Thomas Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer (Conan the Barbarian reboot) had penned a script for the studio a few years ago. Scott Derrickson (The Day the Earth Stood Still) is directing.

In the comic books, Dr. Stephen Strange is an arrogant surgeon who...

While Disney and Marvel have announced a director for their proposed "Doctor Strange" movie, little else about the project has been revealed, especially in terms of potential star or release date. But more details seem to be firming up, with a report that Marvel is close to hiring a new screenwriter (one that genre fans are, for better or worse, very familiar with) and a new actor being added to the list of potential Doctors.

Firstly, Deadline is reporting that Jon Spaihts, who made his initial splash on a sci-fi screenplay called "Passengers" that appeared on the 2007 edition of the Black List (a list that circulates around Hollywood of that year's best unproduced screenplays) and later contributed the first draft of what would ultimately become Ridley Scott's pseudo-prequel "Prometheus," is set to write "Doctor Strange." (If you want to hear about what his version was like, there's a great...

Marvel's Doctor Strange adaptation continues to move forwards apace, with Deadline reporting that the studio is in negotiations to bring John Spaihts on board to rewrite the script. The studio recently filled the director's chair with Scott Derrickson, and is now looking to Spaihts to submit a new draft of the script, after initial work by Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer. Spaihts himself seems overjoyed by the development, taking to Twitter to announce, "Doctor Strange was always my favourite Marvel hero… it's a good...

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Three names remain in the frame for Marvel's Doctor Strange, as Jon Spaihts is hired to rework the screenplay...

News

We've still not got a release date for Marvel's Doctor Strange movie yet, but there's no doubt remaining that it's happening. Scott Derrickson - shortly to launch Deliver Us From Evil into cinemas - is the man with the job of directing the film. And the latest on the project is that Jon Spaihts is being recruited to work on the screenplay for the movie.

Spaihts is working on the reboot of The Mummy for Universal. He penned the original screenplay, pre-rewrites, for Ridley Scott's Prometheus too. He's now going to rework the original Doctor Strange script, that Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer put together.

Furthermore, the casting shortlist for the title role apparently remains centred on a trio of names. And those names? Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jared Leto.