Ethan Hawke Says Scott Derrickson Is Right Choice For Doctor Strange

Ethan Hawke was said to be a potential candidate to play Doctor Strange, and while he won’t get the chance to play the Sorcerer Supreme for Marvel, the actor did previously work with director Scott Derrickson on the hit horror movie Sinister.

While participating in a recent Reddit QnA, Ethan Hawke was asked about Doctor Strange and offered the following, stating it’s in good hands with Derrickson.

Doctor Strange sounds particularly interesting to me, not just because of the quality of the comic, but because of the man Marvel hired at the helm. Scott Derricksen directed me in SINISTER, and there’s a lot of lousy horror movies made. But Scott Derricksen really understands the genre. And the math and geometry involved in telling a great ghost story. And I feel certain that he will make an excellent Doctor Strange film if they give him the reins.

But really, I don’t covet any roles as much as I covet relationships with talented people. People often ask me “Do I prefer theater or film, or writing or acting?” And what I really prefer is being in a room with gifted, passionate people. Because it’s contagious. It helps you be in touch with the best part of yourself.

And sometimes, that doesn’t mean really successful, big-shot types. Sometimes it means being in the room with students, and young people whose idealism is undaunted.

I like listening to Laurelai Linklater and Ellar Coltrane talk about movies (my costars in BOYHOOD), and art, cuz they talk straight from their heart, with no secret agenda.

Regarding whether or not Ethan Hawke was going to play Doctor Strange, he recently stated on a podcast that he would be open to playing a similar character:

“If people are going put up with somebody like me, they want to make sure you’re going put a–es in seats, and there’s a lot of actors that are going to to put more a–es in seats than me. There’s a tremendous amount of salesmanship that’s now really important to a studio like that. It’s a tremendous amount of time in your life where you’re working, and you’re not acting. They’re making movies at a high rate, and they’re making them successfully. I’m totally open to doing something like that.”

Doctor Strange has a November 4, 2016 release starring Benedict Cumberbatch.