It may seem hard to believe, but after months of intense rumours and speculation it would appear that Marvel is still no closer to finding a lead for its upcoming Doctor Strange movie. Just prior to Comic-Con in July, everyone was reporting that Joaquin Phoenix was the man and that an announcement was imminent. A few weeks later, Marvel remained silent on the subject and we started to hear that other actors were being considered again, including Boardwalk Empire‘s Jack Huston. Then all of a sudden Joaquin was back in the picture again and reportedly on the verge of locking things down. Alas, it appears that the deal fell apart at the last minute and now he is out of the running for good. But is this a bad thing?

According to Deadline, Joaquin Phoenix has officially ended his negotiations with Marvel to play Doctor Strange. While technically it seems possible that they could resume talks again, let’s face it: Joaquin does not seem like the right fit for such a big blockbuster and all the related obligations. This news isn’t a huge surprise and Kevin Feige and co. are already said to be focusing their efforts on other candidates.

There was another rumour that cropped up earlier this week about Ethan Hawke possibly being under consideration. It might make sense because director Scott Derrickson worked with him on Sinister, but we are now hearing it is completely false. Other names that were said to be on Marvel’s shortlist some time ago include Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jared Leto. Are you disappointed that Joaquin Phoenix is no longer in contention for Doctor Strange or would you prefer someone else in the role anyway?