Scott Dericsson revealed that he met with the Joker of 'Suicide Squad' because Benedict Cumberbatch previously couldn't take the role of the Sorcerer Supreme due to scheduling conflicts.
- September 24, 2016
AceShowbiz -
What would happen if Jared Leto, the Joker of "Suicide Squad", took the role of Doctor Strange in Marvel's upcoming superhero flick? Director Scott Dericsson revealed that he met with "a lot of good actors," including Jared, Joaquin Phoenix and Ryan Gosling, because Benedict Cumberbatch previously couldn't take the role of the Sorcerer Supreme due to scheduling conflicts.
However, Scott said that Bennedict was always "the only actor" he seriously considered even though the British actor already committed to "Hamlet" at the time. The helmer eventually told Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, "It's got to be Benedict."
Scott even pushed back the release date of "Doctor Strange" so that the 40-year-old actor could take the role of Stephen Strange. "It just wasn't possible," the helmer explained. "To his credit [Benedict] said, 'I can't bail out of 'Hamlet'. I've given my word.' "
Speaking to Empire, Benedict said that he thought he had to "kiss it goodbye" before the studio moved the release from summer 2016 to autumn 2016. "If you can't jump on board when the ride's going past, that's usually it," he admitted. "So the hugest compliment they paid me was to come back to me. It motivated me to try to fulfill their faith in me."
"Doctor Strange" is coming to U.S. theaters this year on November 4. Directed by Scott from a script by Jon Spaihts, the action fantasy movie also stars Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mads Mikkelsen, Benedict Wong, Rachel McAdams, Scott Adkins, Michael Stuhlbarg and Amy Landecker.
