A Trio Of Directors Vie For "Doctor Strange" Gig

The Hollywood Reporter's Borys Kit suggests that the short list of director potentials for Marvel's long gestating Doctor Strange movie is down to just three names.

They Are: Jonathan Levine ("Warm Bodies") and Mark Andrews ("Brave"); Scott Derrickson ("Sinister") is new to the mix.

Two of the three names that Kit announced were originally on a list of four names linked to the project last month that also had Nikolaj Arcel and  Dean Israelite on it

 We do not know when Marvel intends to make a final decision on who will call action the film.

"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

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."  That has led to speculation that Mikkelsen may instead be up for the role of Strange's arch-nemesis, the evil Baron Karl Mordo