Joaquin Phoenix in Talks to Be 'Doctor Strange'

Joaquin Phoenix's life is about to get very strange. Well, maybe not as strange as it was when he pretended to have a complete breakdown. According to both The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, Phoenix is in talks to take the lead in Marvel Studios' Doctor Strange.

Variety writes that a deal to bring Phoenix into the Marvel Cinematic Universe "is far from complete but insiders confirm that Phoenix is strongly considering the superhero role," with THR noting that it's "unclear if the actor will accept the role, but a source confirms to The Hollywood Reporter that the deal is further along than just the offer stage."

After hearing names like Jared Leto, Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch get tossed around for Doctor Strange, these reports are the strongest that we've gotten so far. Throw in the fact that Phoenix had previously flirted with joining the superhero world (if story that he had been in talks to play Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was true), and this story looks like the real deal.

Scoring the lead in Doctor Strange would come with a multiple-picture deal with Marvel, completing a huge turnaround in Phoenix's career. After doing blockbusters like Gladiator, the actor almost completely abandoned the movie business as part of his I'm Still Here faux-documentary. In today's Hollywood, you can't get much more blockbuster than the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Marvel has its big Comic-Con presentation on Saturday night. Will Phoenix have a deal for Doctor Strange in place by then?

Doctor Strange will be directed by Scott Derrickson and is scheduled to open on July 18, 2016.