When it was reported in late August that Mads Mikkelsen was in talks to join the cast of Doctor Strange, the news was met with tremendous enthusiasm. After all, the actor has become very popular for his performances in villain roles - both in film and on television - and it's very easy to believe that he could deliver some great stuff portraying a character like Mephisto or Dormammu. As it turns out, however, it may be a bad idea to start counting chickens before they hatch, as Mikkelsen has said that a deal is not yet closed with Marvel Studios.
While recently sitting down with the Chinese website Mtime, the Danish actor was asked about the possibility of him being in the Scott Derrickson-directed Doctor Strange, and his response didn't exactly suggest that he is making plans to fly to London this November when cameras start to roll on the film. Discussing his potential future as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the actor said,
I know as much as the rest of the world. So far it's been rumors, so I'm waiting on a phone call.
With knowledge of how this industry works, there are definitely multiple ways to interpret what Mads Mikkelsen is saying here. The worst case scenario is that the trade reports from last month were simply spurious, and that Marvel hasn't actually approached the actor at all. Another equally possibly situation, though, is that he's currently in negotiations for whatever role Marvel Studios wants him for, and wants to keep the upper hand. Let's not forget that two months ago Rachel McAdams was quoted saying that she didn't know if talks with Marvel were going to go "anywhere at all," and now she's officially part of the cast.
The good news in all of this is that it sounds like Mads Mikkelsen would actually be very happy for an opportunity to be a part of what's cooking on over at Marvel Studios. Asked how he would feel about landing a role in Doctor Strange, Mikkelsen said,
Over the moon. It would be fantastic to be a part of the Marvel family. It's something we all grew up with. We all have our heroes - and Doctor Strange is definitely one of the more interesting things.
Fans who have been following the progress of Marvel Studios will remember that this isn't the first time that Mads Mikkelsen has danced around the idea of taking a villain role in a Marvel movie. There were originally plans to have him play Malekith The Accursed in Thor: The Dark World, but commitments to Hannibal took him away from the project, and opened the door for Christopher Eccleston to take the part. Hopefully things will work out better for the Dane this time around.
Doctor Strange will be in theaters November 4, 2016.
