Hollywood Blvd. Shuts Down for a Marvel-lous and ‘Strange’ Premiere

Benedict Cumberbatch at the World Premiere of Marvel Studios’ “Doctor Strange.” Photo © 2016 Joseph Martinez/ Picturelux – All Rights Reserved.

It was most definitely a Marvel-ous event in Hollywood on Thursday (October 20th, 2016) as Hollywood Boulevard was completely shut-down in front of the TCL Chinese Theater for the World Premiere of Marvel’s “Doctor Strange.”

The film’s stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Rachel McAdams, Benjamin Bratt and Mads Mikkelsen were all on hand for the event held simultaneously at both the TCL Chinese Theater and at El Capitan Theater.  The cast of the fourteenth installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was joined by ‘Iron Man’ himself, Robert Downey Jr., ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ director James Gunn, Marvel studio head Kevin Feige and Marvel patriarch and the film’s Executive Producer Stan Lee.

There was quite a bit of ‘traffic’ on the luxuriously long red carpet as other notable invited guests waited in queue to make their way down including  Jason O’Mara, Michael Rooker, Patton Oswalt, Ming-Na Wen, Chadwick Boseman and Karl Urban among others. Perhaps the most surprising guest, however,  was presidential debate media darling Ken Bone, who arrived on the red carpet with his signature red half-zip sweater.

Doctor Strange himself (Benedict Cumberbatch) arrived with his wife Sophie Hunter, who, according to Vanity Fair, are expecting their second child together. The couple already have one son, Christopher Carlton Cumberbatch, born in June 2015. It was also revealed to Vanity Fair by Director Scott Derrickson, that Cumberbatch initially passed on the role due to a conflict between starring in Hamlet on London’s West End and meeting the film’s strict start date.  However, Derrickson was willing to wait for his first choice and convinced studio heads to push back the film for almost a year. [beautifulquote align=”full” cite=””]I thought Benedict was perfect as Doctor Strange, because [he] has the combination of high education and high intelligence. I believe that he can be a top neurosurgeon. He’s so smart and also has incredible depth, feelings, and range as an actor,[/beautifulquote] Derrickson told Vanity Fair.

About The Film:

From Marvel comes Doctor Strange, the story of the world-famous neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange whose life changes forever after a horrific car accident robs him of the use of his hands. When traditional medicine fails him, he is forced to look for healing, and hope, in an unlikely place — a mysterious enclave known as Kamar-Taj. He quickly learns that this is not just a center for healing but also the front line of a battle against unseen dark forces bent on destroying our reality. Before long Strange — armed with newly acquired magical powers — is forced to choose whether to return to his life of fortune or leave it all behind to defend the world as the most powerful sorcerer in existence.

Doctor Strange Trivia:

• Marvel’s “Doctor Strange” was shot in London, New York, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Hong Kong
• 21 sets were built for the shoot. There were many impressive, practical sets, including the largest set, The Kamar-Taj courtyard and street, which measured 160 ft. by 80 ft.
• Doctor Strange’s car in the film is a Lamborghini, which he drives when he is a surgeon. Six Lamborghinis were required for filming.
• One of the camera lenses used on the film had a cinematic history of its own,  having been used on “Lawrence of Arabia.”
• Some interior scenes were shot at historic Exeter College, part of the University of Oxford. J.R.R. Tolkien, among other notables, was an undergraduate at Exeter.
• While filming in New York City, Benedict Cumberbatch, in full costume, went for an afternoon cup of tea between setups with his wife and some  friends in a cafe in Greenwich Village. Even the usually nonplussed New Yorkers were surprised to have a Super Hero in their midst.
• Filming in Nepal was difficult to keep under wraps because as it turns out many Nepalese are Benedict Cumberbatch fans from Sherlock,” the BBC TV show he stars in. In Patan Durbar Square there was a crowd of hundreds chanting his name, so Cumberbatch went to an upstairs window overlooking the square to wave to the crowd, which went wild for him

Doctor Strange hits theaters nationwide on Nov. 4, 2016

Photos © 2016 Joseph Martinez/ Picturelux – All Rights Reserved.