The ‘Doctor Strange’ cast continues to expand as Oscar-nominated actor Chiwetel Ejiofor will reportedly take on the role of Baron Mordo, the Master of the Mystic Arts’ arch enemy, opposite Benedict Cumberbatch.
When Baron Karl Amadeus Mordo was introduced in Marvel Comics’ ‘Strange Tales’ #111 (also the second issue for ‘Doctor Strange’), the character was portrayed as an untrustworthy student of the Tibetan sorcerer The Ancient One.
The Baron’s treachery was one of the factors that influenced Stephen Strange to commit himself to magic. After Mordo was banished, he has often used black magic against Strange and summoned demons to him, both of which were greatly disapproved of by the Doctor.
Ejiofor’s portrayal of Mordo is expected to not be entirely evil in the movie; instead, it will reportedly be a combination of several characters in the Strange storyline. For the film, Mordo will likely begin as an ally and eventually become evil.
Interestingly, the Oscar-nominated actor has shown superb fighting skills in his past films, ‘Serenity’ and ‘Redblet’, the latter of which Ejiofor learned Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for.
Meanwhile, award-winning actress Tilda Swinton has been set to portray The Ancient One, typically a male role. Consequently, the upcoming ‘Doctor Strange’ is being deemed as an example of the increasing trend of diversification among movies drawn out from comic books.
Cumberbatch has already been set to headline ‘Doctor Strange’ as the Sorcerer Supreme, whose task is to protect humanity from magical and mystical threats.
Other actors who were previously considered for the titular role in ‘Doctor Strange’ before Marvel settled for Cumberbatch included Jared Leto and Joaquin Phoenix.
Although Cumberbatch has been highly capable of portraying characters in movie and TV projects of different genres, this new Marvel movie will be his debut leading role in a big-budget Hollywood production. He previously bagged a leading role for ‘Star Trek: Into Darkness’ and was nominated for an Oscar for his compelling performance in ‘The Imitation Game.’
Meanwhile, the ‘Sherlock’ actor will still reprise his detective role and continue solving difficult cases in the fourth season of the hit series, which has been scheduled to return in 2016 after the airing of the special episode this December.
Scheduled to make its way to cinemas on Nov. 4, 2016, ‘Doctor Strange’ is penned by Jon Spaihts and helmed by Scott Derrickson. It will focus on the story of neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange who, following a car accident, digs deep into the unexplored world of magic and alternate dimensions.
