Tom Hardy And Benedict Cumberbatch Eye "Doctor Strange"?

Deadline reports that Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch are circling Marvel's long gestating Doctor Strange movie.

The main issue for both actors is scheduling..They already have various commitments elsewhere. Both of them starred together in 2011's "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," remake and the 2007 telemovie "Stuart: A Life Backwards"

 Now that we know that Scott Derrickson ("Sinister," "The Day the Earth Stood Still" remake) will take the helm on the picture things are moving along quickly.

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.

 Derrickson was first reported in contention for the job earlier this year, along with names like Jonathan Levine ("Warm Bodies") and Mark Andrews ("Brave").

"Kung Fu Panda" scribes Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger are also said to be poised to pen the latest screenplay draft with whomever was 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. The tone of the film will be similar to that of "Iron Man".

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 name 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."

Just this past week Badass Digest reported that recent Oscar winner Jared Leto is (or was) being eyed to play the lead.

 Strange' is a tricky character to introduce into their Cinematic Universe . He has to bring supernatural/mystical elements into the mix

There's no specific release date for "Doctor Strange," yet it will likely take one of the slots that the studio has  staked out--either July 8th 2016 or May 5th 2017