With Benedict Cumberbatch officially set to play Doctor Strange, Marvel Studios have started looking at other actors for key roles in the Scott Derrickson helmed movie, with three approached for The Ancient One.

Those are Morgan Freeman (The Dark Knight), Bill Nighy (Shaun of the Dead), and Ken Watanabe (Godzilla), three very different actors who you have to imagine would all bring something different to the role.

In the comic books, Stephen Strange (a skilled and arrogant surgeon left unable to operate after an accident) seeks out The Ancient One for his help deep, but Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme refuses to help Strange because of his selfishness. When Strange discovers that the Ancient One’s apprentice is plotting to kill his master, he selflessly decides to accept the Ancient One’s offer to learn magic in order to help the old man.

This sets Doctor Strange on a far more heroic, path, and while his new master eventually dies in battle, his heroism leads to Stephen inheriting the Ancient One’s title as Sorcerer Supreme and returning to New York.

Going back to the casting, it sounds like Marvel have only just approached these three for the role, so it’s still early days. With a release date of November 4th, 2016, we’ll hopefully hear something official soon!

Want to learn more about Doctor Strange? Be sure to click here for our in-depth and easy to follow guide!