Report: Tilda Swinton May Join Marvel's Doctor Strange as The Ancient One

Marvel may have found their Ancient One for the Doctor Strange film, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter. Actress and Oscar winner Tilda Swinton is apparently in negotiations to play Doctor Strange's mentor and Tibetan mystic named the Ancient One.

The film, set to release on November 4, 2016, will star Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange. It will be directed by Scott Derrickson and produced by Kevin Feige.

Marvel was originally looking for a man to play the part but rethought the role and is now casting a female. Shooting for the film will begin in November.

Say whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...

great actress, hope they can work things out.

I LOVE THIS CASTING IF ITS TRUE

I'm normally not a fan of gender swap kind of stuff but this would be awesome. I really hope this happens, she's a phenomenal actress and would be the perfect person to whip the arrogant Stephen Strange into shape.

Ok, I could see that working.

interesting.

@longbowhunter: how can u see that working. Seriously they couldn't get Randall Duk Kim or Chow Yun fat to play the Ancient one. I think Tilda would be better off playing Umar, Dormammu's evil sister and mother of Clea.

@fallschirmjager: @mrmazz: @longbowhunter: @cloakx14: but isnt ancient one a male?

Are you guys feminist?

@those_eyes: no.

No, I could see her as Clea but not as the Ancient One, shes not Asian.

I'm okay with this.

Or, maybe she'll just rock a beard. That's cool too.

@those_eyes: and so what if I am? It's a fun gender swap and it isn't like Swinton isn't known for playing androgynous characters. Above all she is an excellent actress go look at her filmography from 2013/14 there is plenty of excellent and varied roles.

It's certainly better than the rumored (for some reason) Al Pacino casting.

Further Thoughts: this seems like the best navigation around the pretty oreintalist tinged origin of Doc Strange. Seriously how are they going to handle Wong? Figuring out who ou cast for Iron Fist will be better but if Swinton is in the role you can at least skirt around the tired trope of white man journey to exotic land to learn mysticisim.

@those_eyes: Nah The Ancient One has always been a guy, except for that story arc where he drank from the Urn of Ugalaboto and was temporarily transformed into a Jamaican man, but everyone in that story was turned into a Jamaican man. Great story, a bit dated though.

Are you Anti-Rastafarian?

i am ok about making the Ancient One a woman but no no no no to Tilda Swinton she was so bad in constantine and Narnia

@mrmazz: I think al Pacino will be playing the grandmaster of the universe or odin's brother Cul the serpent

Its like Marvel is collecting all my favorite actors and actresses. Now I just need a movie where Kingpin, Ultron, Ancient One, and Loki team up to find Magneto, who is being held prisoner by the legendary Foxhound group, and then also have Christopher Walken play someone. Then have Hideo Kojima be head of Konami… and have Kevin Owens beat John Cena.

Would be… an unorthodox movie, but also great!

don't know how I feel about this, but will wait and see before I criticize

or maybe Count Nefaria

cool

Loved her in Snowpiercer

~MiB

Seeing as how "Ancient One" is more of a title than a name... I'm fine with this.

Kevin Owens will kill Cena!!!!!!!

Kil OWens Kill!
~MiB

LETS GO CENA!

CENA SUCKS!

FIGHT OWENS FIGHT!

KILL OWENS KILL!

Actually this reminds me, if Tilda has to pull out of filming, they could just get Rick Flair to play The Ancient One. Would be a role even better than RDJ as Iron Man heh heh. Woo!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

~MIB

@mutant_god: I would like to see Count Nefaria and Madame Masque but with RDJ leaving the MCU behind and no chance for an Iron Man reboot anytime soon, I doubt Nefaria or the Maggia will make a cinematic appearance unless they make an audience friendly Punsiher movie. A Punisher movie that u can take the kids to go see.

The Agents of SHIELD TV show needs to utilize more compelling villains like the Maggia, Count Nefaria, Graviton and the real Mandarin who kidnapped Ben Kingsley's character.

I'd rather they get someone who looks like the Ancient One.

Hmmmm

I did not see this one coming, it's an interesting twist to the character, and given her body build and voice, it will have an eerie aura the character, great casting IMO

So this is how you avoid the calls of "whitewashing" a character. You still change them to white, but you make them a woman and no one seems to mind. Got it.

Finally we're hearing something about this movie they should be filming soon or should

Be right now.

"The Ancient One isn't a woman!" "The Ancient One isn't white!" Hey guess what, the Ancient One isn't real.

Cool.

There are so many other roles she could play besides the Ancient One. I just don't understand how they couldn't find an aging Asian actor to play the part. I think if this gets confirmed, it will be the first time that I will look at Marvel and question their casting choice.

She's Tibetan?

Of course they could find one, but the "wise, old Asian man teaches the protagonist" trope has been done to death in film. This allows for a much more interesting take that is more unlike what we've seen.

As long as they don't set her and Strange up as a romantic ship...

I am cool with it

@ravenvice01: Wait...really??

I like Pacino, but he seems like a poor fit. I can't really see Nefaria yelling "Hoo-ah!!!"

Or maybe I can...who knows?

I like Tilda Swinton and I generally don't pitch a bitch about casting choices.

I have no reaction to this as I've never read Doctor Strange stuff, but I will be seeing the movie, so I hope she's good.

@longbowhunter: I'm not against gender swapping or racial changes when it works and it enhances a character. The Ancient One however, should be Asian because his son Wong is Dr. Strange's current mentor and companion.

But the comics and movies are different. In the movies Tony Stark created Ultron. In the comics it was Hank Pym. They can prob. figure out another way to introduce Wong.

I'm sure this is a retooled version of The Ancient One. Not the first time we've seen this kinda thing in an adaptation. I have high blood pressure and a teenage son. This is not the kinda thing that keeps me up at night.

If only Victor Wong were still alive.

Nice casting, very good actress

@ravenvice01: Couldn't Wong still be The Ancient One's son, just half-tibetan?

Edit: Looking at Wong's bio, he's not The Ancient One's son and he's Strange's assistant not mentor.

Looks like Marvel doesn't care about the Source Material...AGAIN

Terrible villians in most of their films..now gender swapping? For what? Probably to entice more females to the theater, white females of course. TAO is Tibetan right? Senseless, absolutely senseless.

I wonder if her being British is connected to Strange more than likely being changed to British?

It's a title, so in the MCU the Ancient One could easily be a woman. Hell, the recent X-men annuals showed a future where Illyana was the Ancient One.