Marvel Phase 3 ‘Doctor Strange’: Jared Leto, Adrien Brody Are Frontrunners For Stephen Strange Role! Horror Movie Director Will Give Eerie Vibe To Sorcerer Supreme

Marvel Phase 3 is just around the corner with only two films left in Phase 2. "Guardians of the Galaxy" will be out in August and it will culminate with "Avengers: Age of Ultron" in May next year.

One of the films in the lineup of Phase 3 is the solo feature of Doctor Strange. This project has been a rumor mill staple, with so many names attached to it (another Tim Burton-Johnny Depp pairing, anyone?) but after almost a year of speculation, the director is identified.

Of course, the director would be important as it would dictate the overall atmosphere of the movie. Since Doctor Strange is not a street magician and he will deal with all sorts of beings (vampires, demons, aliens and spirits), it was a laudable choice to field horror director Scott Derrickson. His recent work includes "Sinister" and "The Exorcism of Emily Rose." Both movies dwell on eerie ambience rather than jump scares (although it has its share)-just the right recipe for the Sorcerer Supreme.

With that in mind, the focus now shifts on the bigger question: Who will play Dr. Strange? Let's first examine who Dr. Strange is. From Marvel:

"Born in 1930, Stephen Strange was the eldest child of Eugene and Beverly Strange. At age eight, Strange was beset by demons controlled by apprentice sorcerer Karl Mordo, but was rescued by Mordo's mentor, the Ancient One, a millennia-old sorcerer who protected the Earth dimension as its Sorcerer Supreme, a role Strange was destined to inherit.

Strange's magical repertoire includes energy projection and manipulation, matter transformation, animation of inanimate objects, teleportation, illusion-casting, mesmerism, thought projection, astral projection, dimensional travel, time travel and mental possession, to name a few. The full range of his abilities is unknown."

The names that stand out in the rumor mill are Jared Leto and Adrien Brody.

From Moviepilot:

"41-year-old, Oscar-winner Adrien Brody would definitely be in the RDJ age-range of new entries to the MCU, but he also happens to be one of the most recurrently rumored thespians for the gig, thus far. He can handle action as he proved with King Kong and Predators, is a seriously talented actor."

"At age 42 Leto is the second-oldest actor on this list, but somehow the Oscar-winner doesn't look a day past 30, dare I say Leto is... magic? Either way, he also happens to be one of the hottest commodities in Hollywood right now thanks to his Academy-winning performance in "Dallas Buyers Club" last year."

Two Oscar winners. Jared Leto actually limits his acting engagements and it would be tough for Marvel to tie him down for multiple movies-but we'll never know. Brody is probably closer to the role than we think.