Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has revealed "Spotlight" and "The Notebook" actress Rachel McAdams' role in Scott Derrickson's upcoming Marvel Comics film "Doctor Strange" while Benedict Cumberbatch voiced his thoughts on his shots as the titular character.
In his interview with Entertainment Weekly, Feige said that McAdams played a fellow surgeon that had a history with Stephen Stranger and was his sort of lynchpin to his old life, once he stepped into his role of a sorcerer. Feige's statement suggests that the role of the "Spotlight" actress is vital to the integrity of the film.
Feige added that McAdams' character was someone Strange connected with at the beginning, reconnected with, and helped anchor his humanity. As a superhero, it is assumed that Strange needed someone to lean one in times of distress, since he is still a human being who feels various emotions.
In the same interview, "Doctor Strange" executive producer Stephen Broussard said that McAdams' character was sort of Stranger's contemporary in the modern-day New York world, before and after he went on a crazy journey. Broussard also pointed out that McAdams' role was kind of an audience point of view, as she saw Strange before and after.
Aside from McAdams, "Doctor Strange" stars Amy Landecker, Scott Adkins, Michal Stuhlbarg as Nicodemus West, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Karl Mordo, Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One, and Cumberbatch as Strange, among others. Mads Mikkelsen is also revealed as the film's main villain.
Cumberbatch's photos as Strange were also released on Dec. 28 and they can be seen in Entertainment Weekly. In a separate interview with the publication, Cumberbatch said that his gestures in his photos were ways of creating the magic. For the lead actor, it was a beautiful thing, balletic, and very dynamic.
Derrickson's "Doctor Strange" centers on the exploits of Strange, a neurosurgeon who loses his hands' fine motor skills after an accident. He meets the Ancient One, a master of magic who trains him to become the Sorcerer Supreme and defend the world from evil.
With Derrickson at the helm of the film, Jon Spaights, Joshuan Oppenheimer, Thomas Dean Donnelly, and Steve Ditko are on board to pen the film script. The producers' team include D'Esposito, Broussard, Victoria Alonso, and Stan Lee, among others.
Derrickson's "Doctor Strange" is slated to premiere in theaters in the United States on Nov. 4, 2016.