Marvel's Doctor Strange Starts Shooting, On-Set Pictures Leak

One of the most intriguing titles on Marvel's roster of forthcoming movies is Doctor Strange. The film has now started shooting in Nepal, and some on-set images have leaked. Check them out at ComicBookMovie.

The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange, the mystical sorcerer who works to protect the earth from magical threats. The impressive cast list also includes 12 Years a Slave Oscar-winner Chiwetel Ejiofor as the evil Baron Mordo, and Tilda Swinton as Strange's mentor, the Ancient One, plus the likes of Rachel McAdams, Mads Mikkselsen, and Michael Stuhlbarg. The film is directed by Scott Derrickson, best known for horror films such as Sinister and The Exorcism of Emily Rose.

At Disney's D23 expo this August, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige revealed concept art for Doctor Strange, and commented that it would be "as weird as anything we've done." In an interview for JoBlo.com, Derrickson explained why he felt that he was the right man for the job: "I think when you consider the work that I've done, it makes sense that he'd be my favorite comic book character, at least in the Marvel universe," he said. "Probably the only comic character in that mainstream world that I'm suited to.

"I feel such an affinity for the character and the story and the ambition of those comics. I wanted it really bad. More than any other project that I've gone after, I felt compelled to do everything in my power to get on that project. Genuinely felt like I was the right guy to do it."

Doctor Strange will be only the second Marvel film to break from the tradition of a summer release. Appropriately enough it is coming to cinemas a few days after Halloween, on November 4, 2016. The production is expected to move to London, where the bulk of the film will be shot, in the next few weeks.