Years from now, a line will be drawn in the sand between top actors affiliated with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and those who are not. Yet another joins the ever-expanding flock of rotating players as actress Rachel McAdams (The Notebook) officially nabbed a role in Doctor Strange. The casting of McAdams has been widely speculated for a while now, yet EW confirms the former “Mean Girl” is set to play against star Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game) in the big screen comic book adaptation.
Details regarding the role itself are still unknown, however. Doctor Strange focuses on a brilliant but tortured neurosurgeon who gets a lease on life as he begins to defend the world over evil. Cumberbatch, next seen on screens in the Black Mass, stars. The impressive ensemble cast includes Oscar winner Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton) as The Ancient One, Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave) as the villainous Baron Mondo and potentially Hannibal stars Mads Mikkelsen. Scott Derrickson (Sinister) directs what may be Marvel’s strangest outing to date.
In regards to McAdams, the casting announcement cements what has been a prolific period for the actress. This past summer alone, McAdams co-starred in Cameron Crowe’s Aloha, Southpaw opposite Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler) and the second season the HBO crime series True Detective. Furthermore, McAdams will next be seen on screens in the fact-based drama Spotlight, a film that co-stars Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right) and Michael Keaton (Birdman) that is already receiving warm reviews from critics as a prospective awards entry.
Doctor Strange is due in theaters on November 4, 2016.