Joaquin Phoenix could have been Doctor Strange. Almost 10 years ago, Marvel Studios was in the midst of the Phase 3 for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The studio was looking for an actor with the gravitas to play Doctor Strange.

Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson recently talked about his time developing the film for Marvel Studios, specifically casting the role of Dr. Stephen Strange. There were a lot of interesting names in the mix to star in the film before Benedict Cumberbatch was ultimately cast.

Both Phoenix and Cumberbatch were on a list of reported contenders that included Ryan Gosling ( The Fall Guy ), Jared Leto ( Suicide Squad ), Tom Hardy ( Venom ), Justin Theroux ( Beetlejuice Beetlejuice ), Keanu Reeves ( John Wick ), and Derrickson's Sinister star Ethan Hawke.

Scott Derrickson is opening up about how Joaquin Phoenix almost played Stephen Strange in 2016's Doctor Strange. Speaking with /Film, Derrickson confirmed that he spent a good amount of time with Phoenix when searching for an actor to play the titular Marvel superhero in 2016's Doctor Strange.