Comicbookmovie has the two most credible, coming from a source they say is pretty high up in the Marvel pecking order. The source, who is reportedly "fed up" with all of the bad info being passed around, has come out and said that an announcement regarding Doctor Strange will be made next month at San Diego Comic-Con. They don't say it will be the reveal of an actual movie, but the likelihood is that it will be one of the mystery 2016 or 2017 dates Disney has already lined up. They could always pull a fast one and announce Doctor Strange will never ever ever get his own movie, but that's doubtful.
The same source also had info on what Marvel plan to do with the good Doctor during Phase Three. With Iron Man off the radar for now, only turning up for The Avengers 2 & 3, that leaves a pretty big need for a central hero that can be the bridge between all of the films. Marvel wants that hero to be Doctor Strange...
"What I can say is that Strange is being groomed to be the next Iron Man. The studio needs a new 'hub' character going into Phase 3 and beyond, as there is audience fatigue, aging stars and a need to move from Tony Stark/Iron Man as a 'hub' for films."
It makes sense because similar to Iron Man, Strange can move from film to film and basically be made to work. He fits neatly into the interdimensional tales of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and the mythological tales of Thor. He may not work quite so well with Captain America, but that could be what makes any story involving the two of them more interesting. It also means that whoever takes on the role will have to sign a multi-picture deal, but that's par for the course for Marvel, anyway.
A rumor emerged last week that presented a totally predictable list of villains for the Doctor Strange film, and it was sketchy if only because it sounded too neat and perfect. Now Latino Review is following up their story by revealing more of the plot, apparently taken from Joshua Oppenheimer and Thomas Donnelly's script. But rather than revealing everything in full, they're doing it in video installments, and rather irritating, self-serving ones at that. Basically it's the breakdown for the entire story, or at least the beginning of it, detailing Doctor Strange's origin. It's pretty boring and tough to endure, but is worth a listen on the off-chance it's remotely accurate. The problem is that whatever Donnelly and Oppenheimer wrote is going to change a dozen times over before the film ever reaches the production stage.
