Doctor Strange Movie: Feige In Rumor Control Mode

At the premiere for Marvel's 14-minute short film that appears on the Blu-ray release of "Thor: The Dark World" called All Hail the King studio suit Kevin Feige was asked about the various rumors about their long gestating Doctor Strange movie.

On the short list of four directors that was reported on last week that included Jonathan Levine,  Danish filmmaker Nikolaj Arcel relative newcomer  Dean Israelite, and Mark Andrews--Feige tells IGN that they are searching, but those names are not right:

"Well, that article was true, that we're meeting a lot of people now. That article was not true about who we're meeting or what level anybody is. But we're actively looking….We always look at a wide range of people with a wide range of backgrounds. There's only one criteria: do something that we think is really cool. [Laughs] That's about it."

He was also asked about casting of the title role, specifically whether a major star would be needed to sell the character:

"You know, I would say that we're pretty transparent, right? Doctor Strange would be our — well, depending on when we make it, it could be our 13th, 14th, 15th  right? I think if you're looking to track our decision-making and how we've done things, we have a pretty wide track record now where you can sort of see. So, no, a movie star is not required, but that doesn't mean a movie star wouldn't be great. It just depends."

"Kung Fu Panda" scribes Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger are also said to be poised to pen the latest screenplay draft with whomever is hired as director. Back in January 2012, Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer-the writing duo behind the recent remake of Conan the Barbarian had their work seemingly approved by the studio

Now part of the studio's phase three or four plans--Created in 1963 for the comics--Doctor Strange tells the story of an arrogant surgeon who is injured in a car accident and goes on to become the Sorcerer Supreme of the universe. Using his magical powers Strange protects the earth from attacks from other realms.

Actor/writer Justin Theroux ("Mulholland Drive," "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle"), Viggo Mortensen and Joel Edgerton were mentioned for the lead as well. "Inception" and "The Dark Knight Rises" star Joseph Gordon-Levitt was the last actor in the mix before Johnny Depp's was mentioned

Depp is said to have had a meeting "to discuss taking on the role of Dr. Strange." His strong ties to Disney, Marvel's owners, makes him an ideal candidate

On the heels of the director potentials Bleeding Cool reports that: "According to one pretty solid Marvel-adjacent source, Mads Mikkelsen apparently is, or has been, somewhere in the mix for the film's early casting discussions."