The fact that Doctor Strange is currently shooting in Nepal has been making for quite a lot of set photos and videos, uncovering our first look at the great Benedict Cumberbatch transformation into the mighty sorcerer, or whatever we're calling the good doctor this week. Now comes our first look at the similarly astounding Chiwetel Ejiofor on the set of the film, from The Kathmandu Post. The film is being helmed by Scott Derrickson, the director behind the chilling horror gem, Sinister.
The casting of Ejiofor as one of Strange's primary villains, Baron Mordo, was one of the first elements of this production to gain attention even from Marvel skeptics, including yours truly. The fact that his appearance is packaged alongside the likes of Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Michael Stuhlbarg, and, reportedly, Hannibal himself, Mads Mikkelsen has made Derrickson's film the crown jewel for 2016's onslaught of Marvel and DC properties heading to the big screen.
The shots we've seen thus far from the Nepal set don't quite give us a sense of how the film will look under Derrickson's direction, but that will likely not be revealed until we get our peepers on the first trailer for the film, which likely won't hit the web and theaters until late this year, or, more likely, early-mid 2016. It will likely prove to be a busy year for Ejiofor, who will also appear in John Hillcoat's furious action-thriller Triple Nine and Billy Ray's Secret in Their Eyes, a remake of a very good Argentinian thriller-drama from one of the lead directors of Halt and Catch Fire, Juan José Campanella. On top of these projects, Ejiofor had a pretty successful 2015, appearing both in the box-office smash The Martian and indie favorite Z for Zachariah, following the tremendous success of his turn in the lovely, effective, yet irrefutably flawed 12 Years a Slave. If he brings half of the passion he brought to that film though, Doctor Strange will likely prove to be an out-and-out event.
Check out the first looks at Ejiofir as Baron Mordo, with Cumberbatch, below:
#DoctorStrange Set Photo - First Look at #ChiwetelEjiofor as #BaronMordo - #BenedictCumberbatch #Marvel #Nepal A photo posted by We Geek Girls (@wegeekgirls) on