Doctor Strange

[GeneChing]

There's a Yahoo vid if you follow the link but it wasn't playing for me. This is more fallout from SDCC.

Doctor Strange
Mads Mikkelsen Says His 'Doctor Strange' Baddie Was Inspired By Bruce Lee
Kevin Polowy
Senior Editor
July 26, 2016

To be clear, Mads Mikkelsen’s crack-eyed Kaecilius in Marvel’s upcoming mythical actioner Doctor Strange is not a good guy. A disciple of the Baron Mordo (played in the film by Chiwetel Ejiofor), Kaecilius wasn’t all that well developed in the comics, but we do know he did his evil master’s bidding, and will be making life extra tough for Benedict Cumberbatch’s titular superhero.

Mikkelsen says his inspiration for the part, however, is one of cinema’s most revered good guys of all time: late martial arts icon and movie star Bruce Lee.

“We have a lot of physicality going on, and it’s martial arts, and one of my biggest heroes of all time is Bruce Lee,” Mikkelsen told us at San Diego Comic-Con (watch our chat above). “Who would’ve thought at the age of 50 I would get to be a miniature version of him?”

The Danish actor, probably best known for TV’s Hannibal, is a former dancer and gymnast. He first cracked into the film business in Drive director Nicholas Winding Refn’s Pusher trilogy and the drama After the Wedding, but has since been racking up action roles in tentpoles like Casino Royale and the upcoming Star Wars spin-off Rogue One, in addition to his entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Doctor Strange.

Mikkelsen assessed his own martial arts skills as “fantastic,” adding, “I’m really good at it. I’ve been practicing all my life in the sense that I’m an ex-gymnast and I’ve always wanted to do something like that. But it took a Marvel film to do it for me.”

Doctor Strange opens Nov. 4.

[GeneChing]

‘Doctor Strange’ Is Going To Be Magical, Which May Cost Them Dearly
BY: CALEB READING 08.10.16


MARVEL

Marvel’s Doctor Strange is filled with mind-bending “Escher stuff” as seen in the first trailer and the Comic-Con trailer. But there’s a reason to be concerned. If they try to explain away the magical aspects with pseudoscientific woo, we have to sit through boring, goofy exposition and try not to groan. (Marvel handled this about as well as they could with Thor explaining magic and science to Jane Foster in Thor.) But if the film references magic or ghosts or other such things too much, China will ban the movie, just as Suicide Squad and Ghostbusters didn’t screen there.

Marvel stands to make over $100 million in China off Doctor Strange, so they’ve been trying to stay in China’s good graces. Script co-writer C. Robert Cargill claims Tibetan character The Ancient One was changed to very white woman (or possible swan masquerading as human) Tilda Swinton because China would have banned the movie if it referenced Tibet. Marvel denied this, however, but they still haven’t denied that Swinton is actually a swan.

So you would assume there will be scenes in Doctor Strange where they try to explain away the magic stuff to appease Chinese censors, right? Well, director Scott Derrickson told Games Radar they’re not going to do that:



“Magic is magic in this movie. It’s not something that’s explained away scientifically. It’s not something that’s easy to define. As magic should be. Magic should be mysterious. There’s mystery to magic and there’s mystery to the tone of the movie. Mystery is a good thing.”
They’re sort of daring China to ban the movie by not making excuses for the magical elements, but perhaps removing the Tibetan version of The Ancient One is how they’re compromising here. We probably should have known they wouldn’t downplay the magical aspect with something as trippy as Doctor Strange (or “psychedelic” as Mads Mikkelsen calls it in the video above). It was implied in the trailer, when possible swan Tilda Swinton says, “Forget everything that you think you know” that sh*t’s about to get real magical up in here.

Doctor Strange without magic? How would that even work?

[Jimbo]

I really hope that Hollywood grows some balls and doesn't kowtow to China on this. At least not anymore than everyone already has. It's a very dark day indeed when China gets to dictate what types of subjects/genres the U.S. and the rest of the world gets to watch.

[mickey]

Greetings,

The makers of the movies featuring Marvel characters need to understand the universe that is Marvel. These movie makers are too linear and the Marvel Universe (MU) not always that. The people could have used the year 1940 as a time travel access point to Tibet, where the magic and the sacred knowledge still exists. They could have even used the year 1949 as the point of exodus for Dr Strange's teacher. And they could still travel to gateways to ancient Tibet, on the inner planes, for training sequences. What could China say about that then? Our counter argument would always be that the China we have today did not exist at that time.


mickey

[Jimbo]

I don't think any of that will matter to the Chinese gov't. Surely ANY depiction of Tibet, including apart from China in the past, would be forbidden.

Besides, the entire magical aspect (which is inseparable from Dr. Strange) is not acceptable to the Chinese, who view it as promoting 'superstitious beliefs'. They want to control the entire world by bringing everyone else in line through the threat of not getting their money. Nothing will be acceptable to them until the Dr. Strange character is no longer Dr. Strange.

[Cataphract]

They want to control the entire world by bringing everyone else in line through the threat of not getting their money.

No, Hollywood should make smaller/cheaper movies so they don't need to please the censors in every part of the world just to break even. America has its own set of no-gos. Anyway, "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" someone said.

[Jimbo]

No, Hollywood should make smaller/cheaper movies so they don't need to please the censors in every part of the world just to break even. America has its own set of no-gos. Anyway, "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" someone said.

Won't happen in Hollywood on any large scale anytime soon. Those are mostly small independent films outside of the major studio system. Besides, they wouldn't make the kind of money to satisfy the studios.

TBH, I watch far fewer Hollywood movies anymore anyway because of that. Hollywood tries to make everything bigger and more exaggerated, resulting in more and more underwhelming product, more often than not. How many colossally budgeted Hollywood movies are even remembered anymore two months after their release? Yet I don't like nor do I accept another country dictating what content (such as magic or the supernatural) can and can't be put into other countries' movies. If it hurts their little sensibilities then forget them and their money. And Dr. Strange IS about magic/the supernatural, which could be argued is not something 'out there' but something that simply isn't understood yet. Do you really think that definition would fly with the Chinese authorities?

And it is clear what China is doing (its leaders and big businesses, not necessarily the average citizen there). Hollywood's kowtowing to China is only one example, besides buying up properties and resources in the U.S., I'm not going into it beyond those. And they couldn't do it without big business (including Hollywood) cooperating with them.

[Cataphract]

I really hate being the one defending the censors, but I don't think they care much about dictating the moviegoers in other countries.
Also what is wrong about investing in the American economy? Is it wrong for American business to invest overseas, too?
Last but not least, "little sensibilities" is a bit thick coming from a country that routinely freaks out about female nipples.

What I can't stand is adding location specific scenes to movies like they did in Iron Man 3. This is a proof that the narrative is just pretense and scenes can be plugged in and out at random.

[Jimbo]

I'm certainly not "USA USA USA." I have no problem pointing out hypocrisies, stupidities and other issues with the way things are done in the States. In fact I have, many, many times. So don't take me as some self-appointed representative of 'Merica. I simply call it like I see it. But yes, something IS wrong when so much favoritism and control is given to China. There can be no bad guy characters who even happen to be Chinese in American movies anymore, so any Asian bad guys must be Japanese, N. Korean, etc., etc. Yet Chinese depict all types of foreigners as villains in their own movies and nobody else gets their panties in a wad. And clearly now, Tibetan characters are not allowed at all. I'm not thrilled about Tilda Swinton being chosen to portray The Ancient One, a Tibetan character, but clearly Marvel didn't have much choice because of China. Well, they did have a choice but chose to cave.

Hopefully the movie will be good in spite of it.

[boxerbilly]

Well all I know is Gere and Pitt should not go to China.

[GeneChing]

Tilda Swinton responds to Doctor Strange casting controversy
BY CLARK COLLIS • @CLARKCOLLIS


(Marvel)
Doctor Strange
Posted August 12 2016 — 2:00 PM EDT

Tilda Swinton has responded to the controversy which erupted over her casting as the magic powers-possessing The Ancient One in Marvel’s new superhero movie Doctor Strange. In the Marvel comics, the character, who is responsible for mentoring the titular ex-surgeon in the mystic arts, is traditionally depicted as Asian. Swinton’s playing of the Ancient One became a major news story following the release of the movie’s first trailer last April, with Marvel accused of “whitewashing” the character.

“Anybody calling for more accurate representation of the diverse world we live in has got me standing right beside them,” says Swinton. “I think when people see this film, they’re going to see that it comes from a very diverse place, in all sorts of ways. Maybe this misunderstanding around this film has been an opportunity for that voice to be heard, and I’m not against that at all. But I do think that when people see the film, they’ll see that it’s not necessarily a target for that voice.”

Swinton previously addressed the controversy earlier this year, saying that she “wasn’t asked to play an Asian character, you can be very well assured of that.” Marvel issued a statement at that time, saying that the Ancient One “is a title that is not exclusively held by any one character, but rather a moniker passed down through time, and in this particular film the embodiment is Celtic.”

Director Scott Derrickson also responded to the uproar on Twitter, writing, “Raw anger/hurt from Asian-Americans over Hollywood whitewashing, stereotyping & erasure of Asians in cinema. I am listening and learning.”

Doctor Strange, also starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams, Mads Mikkelsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Benedict Wong, opens in theaters on Nov. 4. You can see the film’s most recent trailer below.

Well all I know is Gere and Pitt should not go to China.

Haaaa. Good one, boxerbilly.

[GeneChing]

Of course, we all knew this already because of one name: Scott Adkins.

Wait, Doctor Strange Is A Supernatural Martial Arts Movie?
BY SEAN O'CONNELL
22 HOURS AGO

Marvel loves playing around in different genres. Of course, the studio makes superhero movies. But Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a 1970s spy thriller. Guardians of the Galaxy was as much a space Western as Star Wars was. And Ant-Man was a heist movie. So what genre will Scott Derrickson's Doctor Strange fit into? You might think supernatural science-fiction, but you would be wrong.

We were lucky enough to visit the set of Doctor Strange earlier this year, where director Scott Derrickson talked at length about his upcoming origin story for damaged neurosurgeon Stephen Strange aka the Sorcerer Supreme. We have been breaking down several angles with regards to the upcoming film, but this it caught us off guard. When Derrickson explained the types of movies that are influencing his vision of Doctor Strange, the filmmaker told us:

There's definitely a martial arts influence on the movie, because that is the action that I like, for starters. It is also, martial arts is the kind of action that does tie in well to the supernatural. That is a whole sub-genre within martial arts cinema, the supernatural martial arts movie, particularly within Asian cinema. I felt like, when it came to fighting in the movie, that just made sense, to certainly to go in that direction and stay away from weapons, gunfire, and things like that and to avoid having fighting be the casting of bolts of light.

Well, NOW you have my attention, Mr. Derrickson. The director, whose credits include The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Sinister, is going to lift from supernatural martial arts movies when constructing Doctor Strange? How gonzo might that look? To a certain extent, this makes sense. After a crippling automotive injury, Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) embarks on a quest to heal his hands, which puts him under the tutelage of The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) in the Kamar-Taj in Nepal. As we can seen in the photo above, Strange trains in what looks like martial arts. And in the trailer screened in San Diego for Comic-Con, there's plenty of visual cues to supernatural martial arts, which has us salivating over what Derrickson might have in store for audiences.

It's exciting when Marvel allows a new filmmaker to enter the MCU and take over the format of an origin story and fashion it around an unexpected and unpredictable genre. Doctor Strange expects to explore even deeper the magical aspects that were touched on briefly in Ant-Man. This one has the potential to blow people's minds, and Derrickson's comments about the films that will influence Doctor Strange have us chomping at the bit for November 4, when the movie opens everywhere.

[GeneChing]

Wonder if he trained with a no-touch knock-out choreographer?

Cumberbatch says feeling heat over ‘Doctor Strange’ role ahead of release
Thursday October 13, 2016
05:33 PM GMT+8


Cumberbatch said he hoped his first time playing a superhero would meet the high bar of enthusiasts. — AFP pic

HONG KONG, Oct 13 — British film star Benedict Cumberbatch said today the pressure is on to please diehard comic fans as he takes on the role of Marvel’s Doctor Strange, a fictional superhero sorcerer.

Speaking in Hong Kong ahead of the movie’s release later this month, Cumberbatch said he hoped his first time playing a superhero would meet the high bar of enthusiasts.

“These comics and the films that Marvel make are driven by the people who read them and are fans,” Cumberbatch said.

“It’s very important to us that the fans are thrilled, that their expectations are met, but most importantly that they’re exceeded,” he added.

With co-star Tilda Swinton, director Scott Derrickson and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige at his side, Cumberbatch also said playing the character had rubbed off — and he too wished he could have a superpower.

“I’d love to be able to fly,” he told reporters.

“There’s nothing better than that, and I got to do some of that in this film.”

While in Hong Kong, Cumberbatch also said he was looking forward to a possible swim in Hong Kong’s famous Victoria Harbour and eating dim sum.

Cumberbatch, 40, who rose to global stardom playing the title role in the BBC’s hit television detective series Sherlock, did most of his own fight scenes in Dr. Strange.

“When I think about the production, a lot of what comes to mind is Benedict being in physical pain and having to perform in situations where he’s sparring or fighting and getting hit and kicked — because that’s what happens when you do your own fight scenes,” director Derrickson said.

Surreal, reality-bending scenes set in international locations, including Nepal and New York were featured in the trailer of the movie, which opens in Hong Kong on October 27 and November 4 in the US.

Cumberbatch is the latest of a slew of Hollywood stars to take lead roles in Marvel movies, including Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Scarlett Johansson, as Black Widow, and Chris Evans as Captain America.

Kevin Feige said the British actor had always been his first choice to play Stephen Vincent Strange, a neurosurgeon who loses the use of his hands in a car accident.

“We moved the schedule of the movie release around specifically for Benedict which we’ve never done before, but he’s clearly, perfectly Doctor Strange.”

In his quest to repair his injuries, Dr. Strange starts a mystical journey which sees him become a hero sorcerer with superpowers.

Created in the 1960s, the character uses his large trademark red “cloak of levitation” to fly. — AFP

[GeneChing]

How magical.

‘Doctor Strange,’ ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Score China Releases
Senior Film and Media Reporter
Brent Lang @BrentALang


COURTESY OF DISNEY
OCTOBER 19, 2016 | 03:06PM PT

“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” and “Doctor Strange” will both be allowed to screen in China, sources tell Variety.

Both films appear likely to debut at roughly the same time that they bow in the United States. “Doctor Strange,” an adaptation of the popular comic book about a former surgeon who becomes a sorcerer, is the first out of the gate, and will hit the Middle Kingdom on Nov. 4.

“Fantastic Beasts'” date hasn’t officially been confirmed and could shift, but it appears that the “Harry Potter” spinoff will debut on Nov. 18.

China is the world’s second-largest film market, and can add tens of millions of dollars to a film’s gross. Previous Marvel releases such as “Iron Man 3” and “The Avengers: Age of Ultron” did more than $100 million in the People’s Republic. The “Harry Potter” franchise hasn’t been as successful, with the most recent film in the series making a little more than $60 million in the country. However, that film hit theaters five years ago, and China’s box office has continued to grow exponentially since that time.

China maintains a tight quota on the number of foreign productions it allows to screen in the country, limiting it to 34 non-Chinese films annually. It appears that the remaining slots are going fast. Just this week, “Trolls” scored a release date. “Inferno,” a thriller with Tom Hanks, and “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” Ang Lee’s war drama, will also get screened in China.

Benedict Cumberbatch stars in “Doctor Strange,” along with Tilda Swinton and Rachel McAdams. “Fantastic Beasts” is set in the world of Hogwarts, though it focuses on new characters. Eddie Redmayne stars, with David Yates, who directed several previous “Potter” adventures, sliding behind the camera.

Spokespeople for Disney, the studio behind “Doctor Strange,” and Warner Bros., the maker of “Fantastic Beasts,” declined to comment.

[GeneChing]

At the TCL Chinese Theater. That makes it all okay.

‘Doctor Strange’ Cast Addresses Whitewashing Controversy at Film’s World Premiere
Lawrence Yee


OCTOBER 21, 2016 | 10:56AM PT

The world premiere of “Doctor Strange” was held at the famous TCL Chinese Theater on Thursday night. Fans braved the 90-degree heat to get a glimpse of the Sorcerer Supreme himself, Benedict Cumberbatch.

Hollywood Boulevard was transformed into a grand magic sanctum as the cast and crew took the red carpet to celebrate the opening of 14th Marvel Universe movie.

They also took the opportunity to address criticism from some fans over the casting of British actress Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One, who in the comics is depicted as an Asian man.

Director Scott Derrickson took on the whitewashing controversy, explaining how selecting Swinton was a diversity choice itself.

“I think diversity is the responsibility of directors and producers,” Derrickson told Variety. “In this case, the stereotype of [the Ancient One] had to be undone. I wanted it to be a woman, a middle-aged woman. Every iteration of that script played by an Asian woman felt like a ‘Dragon Lady,'” Derrickson explained, referencing another negative on-screen stereotype of an exotic and domineering Asian woman. “I’m very sensitive to the history of ‘Dragon Lady’ representation and Anna May Wong films. I moved away from that. Who’s the magical, mystical, woman with secrets that could work in this role? I thought Tilda Swinton.”

Writer Jon Spaihts also praised the casting choice. “Tilda is an instance of us taking a male role and putting a woman in it, which I think the film badly needed. The comic world of ‘Doctor Strange’ is very male. So we were looking for opportunities to have not only ethnic diversity, but to have gender diversity in the film.”

Swinton herself urged audiences to see “Doctor Strange” before criticizing it, while championing diversity.

“They need to see the film to understand why Scott Derrickson and [Marvel Studios President] Kevin Feige decided to reimagine the Ancient One as a woman. People shouting loud and proud about needing more diversity in Hollywood cinema have got us right behind them.”

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Benedict Wong, who plays Master Wong, said producers worked to dispel the Asian stereotypes around his character found in the source material. “The idea of a man servant and tea-making sidekick isn’t that appealing,” the British Chinese actor said. “Scott and Kevin said vehemently ‘were not doing this.’ And I said, ‘Fantastic because neither am I.'”

Other Marvel stars including Stan Lee (creator), Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther), Elodie Yung (Elektra) and Gabriel Luna (Ghost Rider) made their way down the carpet before the screening.

Cumberbatch and Swinton received the loudest applause as the credits rolled, which was of course followed by Marvel’s signature post-credits scene, featuring a certain Avenger (no spoilers here) and a post-post-credits scene.

An after-party followed celebrating the film and premiere’s success.

Check out more photos from the event below.


“Doctor Strange” World Premiere