The Doctor Strange movie will bring fundamental change to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, according to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.
Feige spoke at length about the movie at the CineEurope event, days after reports emerged that Jared Leto is in talks to portray earth's mystical protector.
"I believe it's very, very important for us to explore every nook and cranny of the comic-book universe," Total Film quotes Feige as saying about Doctor Strange.
He continued: "We've done the street-level heroes, and we've done the billionaire superheroes. We've now done the cosmic side with Thor and Avengers and most obviously with [Guardians of the Galaxy}, but there's a whole other side of the Marvel comics, which is that supernatural side - the interdimensional side of the Marvel universe.
"Doctor Strange is, I believe, our entry point into that other realm, which has dozens of characters and storylines all of its own."
Feige went on to refer to Doctor Strange as being "very, very important" to the future of the Marvel film series.
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"[This is] a journey of a man who's gone from this very arrogant surgeon to somebody who is quite zen and literally keeps all of reality together on a daily basis, but it also is going to open up a whole other side of storytelling for our movies," he explained.
The executive also indicated that casting will begin "in the next month or two".
Prometheus writer Jon Spaihts was recently reported to be in negotiations to work on a new version of the Doctor Strange screenplay.
Doctor Strange - a neurosurgeon-turned-master of magic - was first depicted in the pages of Marvel Comics in July 1963.
Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
