Director Scott Derrickson Hints at DOCTOR STRANGE Movie Plot?
Even though Marvel has officially locked down Doctor Strange for a 2016 release, they still have yet to make an official casting announcement. At this point, we are waiting to hear that Benedict Cumberbatch will play the Sorcerer Supreme. There's not much known about the story, just a few bits and pieces that we've learned through internet rumors. One of the bigger things that has been reported is that the movie might not tell an origin story for the character. It was already revealed in Captain America: The Winter Soldier that Stephen Strange is already established as a person of interest and great power within the larger Marvel cinematic universe.
The film is sure to at least tell us some information on how the superhero character came to exist. Director Scott Derrickson recently posted the Doctor Strange image you see above on Twitter, which might give us a hint of where they are finding some of their inspiration. If this gives us any indication, it's possible that they may have found a story that gives them a solid middle ground to work with between the origin and already established character.
I imagine the beautiful piece of art was sent out to provide a hint about the source material that Derrickson and his crew have been working with when developing the movie. It comes from the 1986 graphic novel Doctor Strange: Into Shamballa, which was created by J.M. DeMatteis and Dan Green. The story starts out with Strange visiting the home of the Ancient One twenty years after he was taught the ways of magic and sorcery. An artifact is left for him as a gift and he returns home to study it. In the process, he opens up communication with beings from a higher reality that are known as the Lords of Shamalla. This opens a door that would allow humanity to reach another level or plane of existence. Of course, to make it happen, an enormous sacrifice would have to be made.
I wouldn't be surprised that they would used this storyline as inspiration. The graphic novel tells one of the best Doctor Strange stories ever. It also provides the perfect way for audiences to be introduced this character's mystical story. I could easily see the film starting out with Strange returning to the home of the Ancient One. It's an effective way to address the Doctor Strange origin without taking up a large chunk of the movie. But then again, maybe he just sent it out to show the visual style that he is going for in the movie.
I would love it if this is the direction they took the movie!