Heading into Comic-Con this week, the one big announcement that everyone has been expecting is the casting of the lead role in Marvel’s Doctor Strange. Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige recently said that the final details were being ironed out and that if the contract was signed in time, the announcement would be made at Marvel’s panel on Saturday. Previous rumours had hinted that Benedict Cumberbatch was still a heavy favourite for the role, and with Cumberbatch supposedly at Comic-Con solely to promote The Penguins of Madagascar, it seemed even more likely that he still had something up his sleeve. However, yesterday he continued to deny it, and now we’re getting reports that another unlikely candidate has stepped up in his place: Joaquin Phoenix. Yep, you heard that right.

According to The Wrap, Joaquin Phoenix is now believed to be the frontrunner for the role of Doctor Strange. Other sources have since echoed this sentiment with THR claiming that the actor is past the offer stage and is now deep in negotiations. We probably won’t get confirmation until tomorrow, but it certainly sounds like all signs are pointing to him.

Joaquin Phoenix is probably one of the last actors anyone would expect to take on a role in a Marvel movie, but it’s certainly an exciting prospect. He was reportedly being courted for a villain role in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice late last year (most likely Lex Luthor) but that role eventually went to Jesse Eisenberg instead. One possible sticking point for the negotiations could be the typical multi-picture deal required for these kinds of superhero roles. There is some speculation that Phoenix might be trying to avoid getting locked into the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a long period of time, but they are known for driving a hard bargain. We’ll have more info as it becomes available. In the meantime… what do you think of Joaquin Phoenix as Doctor Strange?