Nothing has been confirmed by Marvel or Disney at this moment in time, but Screen Daily claims that advanced negotiations are in place to shoot Doctor Strange at the U.K.'s Pinewood-Shepperton studios in May 2015.
Marvel is already starting prepping the grounds, with crews being assembled to move into Shepperton in either late May or very early 2015. Actors will step in front of the camera starting in May, with Marvel reportedly taking the already claimed release date of July 8, 2016. Again, no official word has been released by Disney and Marvel.
Scott Derrickson, the man behind this summer's exorcism thriller Deliver Us from Evil and the horror hit Sinister, is set to direct from a screenplay by Jon Spaihts. Joshua Oppenheimer and Thomas Dean Donnelly worked on earlier drafts of the script.
The story will follow a former neurosurgeon who becomes the Sorcerer Supreme. Doctor Strange is the protector of Earth from magical and mystical threats to humanity. The character is often described as "the most powerful human hero of all in the Marvel comics universe".
Doctor Strange was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, and in the fifty years since his inception, many have tried and failed to bring the character to the big screen.
Joaquin Phoenix has long been said to be in final negotiations to take on the character, though he has yet to reach an agreement about his contract. Rumors claim that he is nervous about taking on a superhero role, as it is not his usually gig. And he is worried about Marvel's multi-film contracts, not wanting to lock himself into one character for at least a decade.
Disney's U.K. shooting deal will reinforce their strong ties with Pinewood-Shepperton, where Star Wars: Episode VII is currently shooting. Avengers: Age of Ultron recently wrapped at the location, and Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass is still in production at the venue.
Marvel and Disney's Ant-Man is currently shooting at Pinewood Studios' new Atlanta location, here in the states. And Sony is gearing up to shoot Bond 24 at Pinewood in 2015.
Again, none of this has been confirmed by Marvel.