Ewan McGregor Was Almost Doctor Strange

Ewan McGregor has been talking about just how close he was to becoming ‘Doctor Strange’ before Marvel decided to cast Benedict Cumberbatch as the superhero instead.

Alongside numerous other actors, including Joaquin Phoenix and Ethan Hawke, the Scot emerged as one of the front-runners to play the Sorcerer Supreme after Marvel’s struggle to cast the character became more and more apparent.

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Now, while at the Sundance Film Festival, McGregor chatted to MTV News about just how close he actually came to playing ‘Doctor Strange’, while also admitting that he would have loved to have been offered the part.

“Yeah I was into it,” he admitted. “I thought it was exciting. I’m not a big comic guy, so I didn’t know who ‘Doctor Strange’ was. So, I was intrigued by it and I like the idea of creating, or being a superhero character.

In the end though McGregor doesn’t seem too disheartened that he wasn’t hired for the film, admitting that he actually got a rush just from being considered. “They didn’t [pick me], but it was still fun to be a part of the mix for a while,” he noted.

It always seemed slightly peculiar that McGregor was in the mix for the blockbuster. That’s because there’s an argument to be made that McGregor hasn’t successfully led a franchise this large since ‘Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith’.

In fact each big budgeted behemoth that he has appeared in since the release of the 2005 film, which has included ‘The Island’ and ‘Jack the Giant Slayer’, have tanked, massively.

Still, Marvel usually cast their leads perfectly, and McGregor, when given the right role, certainly has the onscreen charm and exuberance to bring a character to life. But in the end Benedict Cumberbatch appears to be perfect for ‘Doctor Strange’, so it’s easy to see why he won out.

‘Doctor Strange’ will be directed by Scott Derrickson, and it will hit cinemas on November 4, 2016.

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Picture Credit: Optimum Releasing