With "Avengers: Age of Ultron" out of the way, "Ant-Man" almost ready to release, and "Captain America: Civil War" already in production, we're starting to hear the first rumors about Marvel's second big movie for 2016, the Benedict Cumberbatch-starring "Doctor Strange." And it looks like one of the first tidbits to leak out is a fascinating gender-flip.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio is currently in negotiations with Tilda Swinton—the charismatic powerhouse most recently seen in films like "Snowpiercer" and "The Grand Budapest Hotel"— to play a character known as The Ancient One.
In the comics, The Ancient One is Doctor Stephen Strange's mentor, Earth's Sorceror Supreme before the arrogant neurosurgeon seeks his training and ultimately takes his place. As you can probably tell by the pronouns in that last sentence, The Ancient One from the comic books is a man—here's what he looks like in J. Michael Strazcynski and Brandon Peterson's 2004 miniseries "Strange."
THR notes that Marvel originally intended to cast a man in the role, but "rethought the role," and decided to cast a woman as the Tibetan mystic.
"Doctor Strange" is scheduled to hit theaters on November 4, 2016.
SEE ALSO: Five reasons Marvel wants Benedict Cumberbatch to play Doctor Strange.
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