Hollywood is filled with movies that never reach the big screen. Sometimes, the story isn’t right for studios to risk their money, while with others, the people pitching don’t have enough experience to back their ambitious ideas. However, some unfulfilled pitches are so good that it makes us wonder what the hell was going on in the mind of the people who threw them in the trash. That’s the case of Neil Gaiman’s Doctor Strange movie, which would feature Guillermo del Toro as director.
The Best Doctor Strange Movie Could Have Happened Before the MCU
Nowadays, everyone is used to the idea of superheroes being the bread and butter of the Hollywood business. While other major franchises are fighting for box office records, almost any superhero adaptation can profit, regardless of how expensive it is to make these movies. That wasn’t always the case, as superhero movies were not that common a couple of decades ago. In Marvel’s case, their big turning point happened with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one of the most ambitious multimedia projects ever created. Before the MCU, movies such as 2002’s Spider-Man, 2000’s X-Men, and, more importantly, 1998’s Blade proved there was an untapped potential in comic book characters. So, of course, the corporate pieces started to move as Marvel’s executives wrapped their heads around the MCU, which would be kicked off with 2008’s Iron Man.
This short history lesson illustrates how Gaiman and del Toro’s Doctor Strange movie was cursed by bad timing. Before the MCU, Marvel wasn’t aware that less-known characters could become hit sensations. And while Benedict Cumberbatch’s sorcerer is an iconic MCU character, no one outside comic book circles was aware Doctor Strange even existed. Yes, they took a shot by making Iron Man the spearhead of their franchise plan. But to be fair, it’s not hard to understand why they shut down Gaiman’s and del Toro’s Doctor Strange pitch in 2007. As Gaiman puts it, “At the time, Dr. Strange was way down their list, & we let it go.”
While we can understand the business decision that led Marvel to dismiss Gaiman’s and del Toro’s pitch, their Doctor Strange movie still sounds like an amazing idea. As Gaiman recently revealed on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast,, the idea was to give Stephen Strange an origin story that would happen in the 1920s, when he would “become an alcoholic and a disbarred physician.” After hitting the bottom of the well, Strange would turn to the mystic arts and become the Sorcerer Supreme. As Gaiman and del Toro imagined, Strange would become a powerful sorcerer “maybe in the early '30s, late '20s, and he's been living in Greenwich Village for 90 years looking the same in his place, and nobody really notices.” That means the movie would deal with how Strange fails to fit into the world, considering time has a different flow for him than for anyone else. Gaiman said, “We just sort of liked that idea, and he would have been sort of out of time.”
2007 was still too soon for Marvel to know how groundbreaking the MCU would become. By then, they probably didn’t imagine Doctor Strange would become the guardian of the Time Stone, one of the most important artifacts of the entire “Infinity Saga.” Still, looking back at this curious story makes us realize Gaiman and del Toro could have fit into the MCU like a glove. And the creative duo had all the tools they needed to conjure the best Doctor Strange movie ever.
Neil Gaiman and Guillermo del Toro Would Nail a Doctor Strange Movie
Let’s make it clear: there’s no need to be mean with the two Doctor Strange movies the MCU brought us. Even so, despite their redeeming aspects, there are some obvious flaws caused by Marvel Studios trying to steer the boat too tightly instead of trusting the creatives behind the wheel. Scott Derrickson’s Doctor Strange is a commercial hit, but the story feels too limited and formulaic for a character always breaking barriers in comic books. Things got weirder in the sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but the movie also leaned too heavily on fan service and worldbuilding. And because of that, not even Sam Raimi’s campy energy could compensate for all the lack of madness in the sequel. So, in the end, despite being helmed by competent filmmakers, both Doctor Strange movies are too tame and contrived for the character to shine as he should. Now imagine for a moment what Gaiman and del Toro could do with the character.
Gaiman is a talented writer whose magnum opus, The Sandman, happens to be one of the best comic book series ever printed. Gaiman also has a deep understanding of how distinct media demand the same story to be told differently. That’s precisely why Gaiman’s adaptations of The Sandman, Good Omens, and American Gods are so successful. Finally, Gaiman understands the comic book business in and out, making him the perfect person to tackle an original script involving Marvel characters.
del Toro is another genius who doesn't need introductions. Over the past decades, del Toro became one of the most influential filmmakers in Hollywood by helming original scripts and comic book adaptations such as Hellboy. And while Hollywood is filled with talented people, few have del Toro’s directing skills in using practical effects to bring fantasy characters to life. Heck, del Toro’s recent Pinocchio proves how the filmmaker is always honing his craft and expanding his area of expertise. In addition, despite his preferences for bizarre characters, every story del Toro tells packs an incredible emotional punch.
So, Gaiman and del Toro working together to adapt a character known for pushing the boundaries of storytelling? That’s a dream project right there, and something that could have elevated the MCU to new heights. In fact, it still could. Both Gaiman and del Toro are quite busy right now, but hope remains one day they could revisit their Doctor Strange project. We all know the MCU is in dire need of shaking things up, as fans are getting tired of the movies that follow a similar structure. Giving creative control to people such as Gaiman and del Toro could help the MCU surprise us again, something we all wanted for a while.