Joseph Fiennes as Doctor Strange...
Why He’s Perfect: Now, before we kick this off, it’s worth mentioning that the recent talk surrounding Doctor Strange has been all about the proposed involvement of Pixar.
Not only does he bear a startling resemblance to the character, but he’s also got the right mix of brooding intensity to carry it off.
Plus, we’d like to see him get his sneer on to capture the Doctor’s pre-accident arrogance. He’s British, so it should be second nature…
Essential Scene: Strange is seen thumbing through the collected works of Shakespeare in his office, in a nod to Fiennes’ most famous role.
But if Fiennes can’t do it…
Liam Neeson as the voice of Doctor Strange...
Why He’s Perfect: If Marvel decide to go down the Pixar route, it would at least throw the casting process wide open, with voice actors less beholden to issues of age and appearance.
Liam Neeson would be top of our list if the role was a vocal performance only.
Gemma Arterton as Clea...
Why She’s Perfect: Clea needs to be a character capable of keeping Strange on his toes, and Arterton’s recent turn as smirking sex-bomb Tamara Drewe suggests she could have him, and indeed the audience eating out of the palm of her hand.
On top of that she’s no stranger to the big-budget blockbuster, with her swashbuckling efforts as Prince of Persia ’s feisty Princess Tamina evidence that she’s as comfortable in an action scene as she is in a pair of denim hotpants.
Malin Akerman as Clea...
Why She’s Perfect: She’s definitely got the look, rocking a Swedish goddess quality that would fit very nicely with the other-worldly Clea. She can also kick ass with the best of them, as she showed in Watchmen .
Underrated as the Silk Spectre, Akerman was far more than mere high-kicking eye candy, her tentative romance with Patrick Wilson providing some of the film’s more tender moments.
Diane Kruger as the voice of Clea...
Why She’s Perfect: Gorgeous though she is, it’d be a bit of a stretch to pass Dianne Kruger off as a girl in her twenties. Sounds harsh? Well this Hollywood, and harsh is the name of the game.
Kruger is better when she’s engaging with the audience in a less one-dimensional fashion anyway.
Jackie Early Haley as the voice of Nightmare...
Why He’s Perfect: No Pixar/live-action debate here, thankfully, as the supernatural entity known as Nightmare could only ever work as a CGI creation. The ruler of a shadowy “dream dimension”, Nightmare works his twisted magic by scaring the living shit out of people while they sleep.
Jackie Earl Haley had that pretty much down pat as Freddie Krueger, so who better to put the fear of God into Dr. Strange than he?
Gary Oldman as the voice of Dormammu...
Why He’s Perfect: As excellent as he is as Lieutenant Gordon, there’s still something that doesn’t quite sit right with Gary Oldman playing one of the good guys. Where’s the snarl? Where’s the menace? We want him back as a villain again.
And since Dormammu is something of an epic figure as far as villains go, we feel he should be voiced by an actor of similarly epic standing.
Ben Kingsley as thevoice of Shuma-Gorath...
Why He’s Perfect: Shuma-Gorath is a weird, blob-like creature, largely consisting of a single, giant eye. He thrives on human sacrifice. He has ruled over Earth at one time or another, as a god-like being. He’s bright green…frankly he’s a little ridiculous.
However, get Gandhi to do the voice, and suddenly you’re looking at a much more serious proposition!
