One month ago, all of the Marvel gossips, trade papers and industry sites were saying that Joaquin Phoenix was a sure thing for Doctor Strange. The Joaquin rumors had been flying around for a few months, but it really seemed like the deal was close to being completed by the end of August. And then… radio silence. It was definitely weird. As I said at the time, I don’t have any doubt that Joaquin would be more than capable of pulling off a superhero/comic book character. My concern was that Joaquin would never be a “company man” for Marvel – he wouldn’t be into the promotional work, the availability, the “not being a curmudgeon” part of the job. Well, guess what? It seems like Joaquin might be out of the running… and now Marvel is looking at Ethan Hawke!

After working their hardest to try to convince Joaquin Phoenix that he’s the right fit for DOCTOR STRANGE, it appears Marvel Studios has moved on after coming to terms with the fact that that marriage isn’t going to happen, and according to my sources, they’ve already found their long-term rebound. Ethan Hawke is their new guy, having offered him the role on Friday. I hear Hawke accepted the job over the weekend, and things have quickly progressed into contract talks, with a six-picture deal being what Marvel is hoping to lock him into.

Hawke’s name is one that was tossed around early in the process due to his prior working relationship with director Scott Derrickson on SINISTER, and, while Hawke has always done solid work throughout his career (nominated for Oscars as both an actor and a writer), he’s never really had anything of this magnitude on his resume. With word going around that Jon Spaights was involved with a Page One rewrite that would eliminate any type of origin story approach to DOCTOR STRANGE and would pick up the Sorcerer Supreme as an active part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as hinted at in CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER, Hawke’s age seems to land in the right range for where they’d want this character to be as they introduce him in Phase Three.

As for Phoenix, a number of issues wound up derailing his involvement – be it his uncertainty in taking on this type of film or the number of movies or the money. It just wasn’t meant to be, and, after doing this dance with him since just before San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel couldn’t be left hanging without a dance partner any longer. After all, how long can you wait around for someone to convince themselves that everything might be okay when they aren’t quite sure?

So there you have it… Ethan Hawke just stepped to the front of the line on DOCTOR STRANGE, and, unless something happens at the negotiating table to collapse this, he should be announced as Marvel’s choice soon enough.

[From This Is Infamous]

Ethan does have the “indie street cred” of someone like Joaquin, but Ethan has actively pursued studio roles and “money parts” throughout his career as well. After a flirtation with leading-man roles in his youth, Ethan has embraced his character-actor status rather brilliantly and his CV is full of diverse characters in a wide range of films. And I kind of think he would be great at helming his own Marvel franchise – while he IS focused on independent films and theater work, he’s shown that he’s more than capable of “selling” and being a “company man” if need be. This choice doesn’t disappoint me at all!

Photos courtesy of WENN.