Last month it seemed almost certain that Marvel would use Comic-Con to announce the star of their upcoming Doctor Strange movie. The day before Marvel’s panel, multiple sources were indicating that Joaquin Phoenix was deep in negotiation to play the Sorcerer Supreme and that it was essentially a done deal. Then the Marvel panel came and went without even mentioning the good Doctor. So what happened? The obvious explanation is that Joaquin Phoenix balked at Marvel’s offer or took issue with their many contract stipulations. Then again, perhaps the rumour was completely untrue in the first place. Either way, it appears that Marvel is considering other actors again and this week we are hearing that one of the stars of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire could take the role instead.

According to This is Infamous, one of the latest people currently in the running to play Doctor Strange is British actor Jack Huston. He is best known for playing disfigured war veteran and hitman Richard Harrow on Boardwalk Empire, but he has also appeared in such films as Outlander, Kill Your Darlings, Not Fade Away and American Hustle. His next major big screen role will be in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

Huston certainly looks the part and he also happens to be British, which falls in line with many of the other actors previously rumoured to be on Marvel’s wishlist. More importantly, he is not such a big name that he would command a high price tag, which is always important for Marvel. Although landing Joaquin Phoenix would have been a major coup, let’s face it, he didn’t seem likely to mesh well with their assembly line mentality. Do you think Jack Huston would make a good Doctor Strange or is this a big step down from previous candidates?