Joaquin Phoenix Walks Away From Marvel’s ‘Doctor Strange’ Film

Joaquin Phoenix has officially walked away from Doctor Strange. After months of long talks, and a contract that was hemmed and hawed over, Phoenix has decided that he will not usher in the Doctor Strange film as Marvel had hoped he would.

The search for the perfect Doctor Strange has been a confusing mess from the very start. Names that were rumored and/or attached prior to Joaquin being a strong contender were Jack Huston, Jared Leto, Kyle MacLachlan, and Johnny Depp. It was only when Joaquin Phoenix’s name came into focus that it seemed Marvel finally found the right guy for the job.

That said, according to The Wrap, Phoenix is no longer interested. It’s said that Phoenix walked away from the film due to “creative differences,” but that line doesn’t really say much about why he walked away and gives us a lot to wonder. Just to put it out there, he might have gotten cold feet about starring in a potential global franchise.

As The Inquisitr pointed out, Marvel is all about their long legacies, and perhaps Phoenix wasn’t game to commit to a multiple picture deal or branding one? Of course, this is all just speculation on our part, but it could very well be a factor in the eccentric indie actor walking away from the role.

The Wrap added another two names to the list who are candidates to play Edgar Wright — Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch. Both actors are extremely busy with their own projects, but we could see Cumberbatch over Hardy. That said, the outlet is convinced that it might go to Justin Theroux, who was in talks right before Phoenix came into the picture.

It wouldn’t surprise us if Theroux took the role. He’s had a huge year following his debut as a leading man on the television show The Leftovers. While he’s always been behind the scenes as a writer and a character-actor, Theroux seemed to really eat up the work he was getting this year. The newfound fame of being a leading man didn’t hurt either, and, if anything, we can picture Justin being eager to sign on to a huge deal like a Marvel franchise.

As of right now, a rep for Joaquin Phoenix did not comment about the star abruptly leaving talks. Too bad because the internet seems to agree that he would have made a stellar Edgar Wright.

Who would you want in the running for the Doctor Strange movie?

[Image via Joblo.com]