The Internet is flooded with speculation regarding which actor will be portraying the character of Doctor Stephen Vincent Strange in the forthcoming Marvel superhero flick titled 'Doctor Strange'.

A recent report claims that Ethan Hawke has been offered the role by Marvel and 'The Purge' actor has reportedly also accepted the offer. However, other reports claim otherwise.

Earlier, speculations were rife that Joaquin Phoenix, who appeared in 'The Gladiator' and 'Her', was being tapped for the title role. Nevertheless, it has been reported that negotiations between the two have been stopped as Marvel became tired of pursuing the disinterested actor.

'Doctor Strange' will be directed by Scott Derrickson and written by Jon Spaiths, and is set to start filming in May 2015, at the Pinewood-Shepperton Studios in the United Kingdom. 'Doctor Strange' is slated for July 8, 2016 premiere.

Meanwhile, it is expected that Hawke, a seasoned actor, would certainly add depth to the story as well as bring life to the character of Doctor Strange. The actor has already starred in several movies where his acting prowess was discovered, including his debut film 'Explorers' and the critically-acclaimed drama 'Dead Poets Society'.

In addition, Hawke has also portrayed various characters in movies like 'White Fang', 'Alive', 'Reality Bites', 'Before Sunrise', and 'Training Day' for which he was nominated Best Supporting Actor by the Screen Actors Guild and Academy.

Marvel is reputed for casting fitting actors having excellent movie appeal, such as Andrew Garfield ('Spider-Man'), Chris Evans ('Captain America'), and Chris Pratt ('Guardians of the Galaxy'), as well as Robert Downey, Jr. ('Iron Man') and Chris Hemsworth ('Thor'), among others.

However, whether Marvel decides to cast Ethan Hawke for 'Doctor Strange' or not, the actor who will finally be chosen for the role would be required to play the egotistic Doctor Strange, a neurosurgeon-turned-Sorcerer Supreme who is committed to protect the Earth from magical and mystical antagonists like Baron Mordo, Dormammu, Shuma-Gorath, and Nightmare.

In fact, Doctor Strange's character is the creation of former Marvel Comics chairman and president Stan Lee, together with artist Steve Ditko. The character was developed during the 1960s.