Marvel’s Doctor Is In… For A Big-Screen Debut?

Marvel Studios has given another glimpse into its post-Avengers plans with the news that writers have been hired to script a movie based on Doctor Strange, the company’s premier magic-based character. According to Deadline Hollywood, Marvel has signed Thomas Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer, the writers behind the now-shooting Conan movie reboot and a draft of Jon Favreau’s Cowboys and Aliens, to script the Sorcerer Supreme’s live-action adventures.

The announcement of Donnelly and Oppenheimer’s deal puts Doctor Strange in a potential race with Runaways for the title of first true Disney/Marvel co-produced feature film, once Marvel’s existing deal with Paramount expires following 2012′s release of The Avengers; British writer Drew Pierce was hired to adapt Brian K. Vaughan’s teenage superhero movie last month.

This won’t be the first time Steven Strange (co-created by Spider-Man creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko) has crossed media; as well as a 2007 direct-to-DVD movie from Marvel’s animated division, Peter Hooten portrayed the character in a 1978 TV movie that holds the surprising distinction of featuring the first live action version of a Marvel Comics supervillain (Morgan Le Fey).

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charlieromeobravo

I realize that the profit potential is larger for movies that television (isn’t it?) but I think Marvel and DC (I’m looking at you Jonah Hex) are making a mistake by trying to take so many of their characters to the big screen. It seems to me that many of their characters would do great on television in an ongoing series. My personal dream is a Moon Knight series :) Still, it would be nice to see them entertain the idea. Dr Strange might be a good candidate though the magic stuff might be a little budget straining because of the effects involved. Daredevil would be a good one too.
charlieromeobravo

Holy moley! That’s Lucille Bluth playing Morgan LeFey! :)
grape_crush

Dr. Strange was always one of my favorite Marvel characters, for some reason. Hope that they capture the otherworldly visual quality of the early Strange Tales with a decent script.

Not getting my hopes up, ‘tho.