Joaquin Phoenix As Doctor Strange: What’s The Hold Up?
As previously reported by The Inquisitr and everyone else who has any interest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Joaquin Phoenix is about one signature away from being named Doctor Strange in Marvel’s standalone film of the character.
But nothing has been announced yet.
For a week and a half, ever since the confirmation had been given by Collider that Joaquin Phoenix was the guy, that Joaquin Phoenix was Doctor Strange, Marvel fans have been at the edge of their seats awaiting confirmation.
And still… nothing.
Moviepilot says that as far as Marvel was concerned, Joaquin Phoenix was going to be announced as Strange at the San Diego Comic-Con. He was supposed to put pen to paper, sign his name, get in a car, be taken to the convention, and be announced onstage in front of thousands of adoring comic book fans.
But that didn’t happen.
Apparently, Joaquin stopped short of signing the contract. He pulled back, and now has been mulling over the decision for weeks.
So what’s the problem? What’s the hold up?
I’m sure for many of us onlookers, we have a hard time understanding why someone would be hesitant to take the gig. I mean, come on — a three to ten picture deal as Doctor Strange, for millions and millions and millions of dollars? What’s there to think about?
As it turns out, for an actor like Joaquin Phoenix, there’s a lot to think about.
According to Badass Digest, there’s two major hold ups on the deal between Marvel and Joaquin Phoenix.
The first one is the commitment.
This deal is going to be for somewhere between three and ten movies. Three to ten movies means being tied almost exclusively to Marvel and the Doctor Strange character for three to ten years. Yes, other actors — including Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson — have been able to do other films between the Marvel titles, but it must be limiting, and we’re told that’s something that’s giving Phoenix some pause.
The second reason is the nature of the work itself.
Marvel movies equal lots of green screen and computer generated effects. It’s a different kind of movie making, an art form all its own. Time and again, actors have talked about having to pretend they’re terrified of something they have to imagine in their heads, and later, when they see the film, what is actually on-screen is nothing like they imagined. A lot of trust has to be given over to the director and the animators by actors that work on green screen movies, and that’s something Joaquin Phoenix has never done before. He’s freaked out about it. It’s not something he’s sure he can do well.
However, I think Phoenix could actually work in the role. I even gave five concrete reasons why in an Inquisitr article. So, Joaquin, if you’re still squeamish, read up on why this will all work out just fine, and sign on the dotted line.
We’re waiting.
[Image via Wired]
