As Marvel kicks off Phase Two with a bang this weekend with the release of director Shane Black’s excellent Iron Man 3, the studio is now looking ahead to the end of Phase Two and beyond.  Over the years, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has frequently talked about the possibility of a feature film adaptation of the comics character Doctor Strange.  While Marvel was focused on introducing audiences to their new approach to superhero movies with Phase One, Thor and The Avengers opened the door to more cosmic-geared stories, and Phase Two is heavy on the otherworldly with Thor: The Dark World and Guardians of the Galaxy.  As such, the inclusion of Doctor Strange—a practicing sorcerer who wields magical powers—seems like a swell fit in the near future.

Steve recently sat down with Kevin Feige for an extended interview, and during the course of their wide-ranging conversation Feige offered a promising update on the impending Doctor Strange movie.  Feige said that they are now actively working on the film, and it should be one of the next Marvel movies following the beginning of Phase Three.  Hit the jump to read on.

During their interview, Steve asked Feige for an update on Doctor Strange and the Marvel Studios president said they are now actively developing the film:

Dr. Strange is something that I talk about often and it’s sort of next up for us to dig into and explore.  Our executive producer of Iron Man 3, having done Captain America: The First Avenger and as that was finishing he started working on the bones that would become Iron Man 3, and now that he’s finished with Iron Man 3, he’s working on the bones that would become Doctor Strange.  Now that Iron Man 3 is finished, some of our quote-unquote spare time is going to be devoted to trying to crack Strange.”

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Image via Marvel

While that’s certainly promising, Steve asked Feige what the timetable for a Doctor Strange movie could be, and the Marvel executive hinted at a possible Phase Three release:

“As we look past 2015, past Avengers 2 and Ant-Man, I think Dr. Strange should be one of the next movies in the years following that.”

If we use the schedule of Feige’s unnamed producer (who, looking at IMDb, might be Alan Fine), it was two years between the release of Captain America and Iron Man 3.  With The Avengers 2 and Ant-Man already set for release in 2015, it’s not unreasonable to think that Doctor Strange could be the second film of Phase Three after Ant-Man, possibly seeing a spring 2016 release.  Again, no solid date was confirmed by Feige and this all appears to hinge on whether Marvel can crack a story or unique take on the character, but Feige definitely seems to suggest that they're hoping Doctor Strange can be part of the Phase Three plan.

Look for much more from Feige soon, and hit the comments with your thoughts on what you’d like to see from Marvel’s Doctor Strange movie.

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Image via Marvel Comics