[Update: Scott Derrickson is directing Doctor Strange for Marvel.]

Marvel Studios will release Captain America: The Winter Soldier in a matter of weeks, has Guardians of the Galaxy arriving this summer, and has production on Avengers: Age of Ultron getting underway around the globe. So, with "Phase 2" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe now fully sketched out, we've started to look forward to what lies ahead in "Phase 3."

Edgar Wright's Ant-Man will kickoff "Phase 3," with The Avengers 3 all-but-officially set to serve as the conclusion; Captain America 3 and Thor 3 are likewise expected to be included as "Phase 3" installments, with Doctor Strange and one last Marvel flick (Inhumans? Guardians of the Galaxy 2?) most likely rounding out the wave of films.

Many a Marvel fan has at least one eye fixed on development for Doctor Strange, since that "Phase 3" non-sequel has neither a director nor star attached, but is looking to gain both sooner than later right now. There've been a handful of names thrown out as potentials for one job or the other, but it's definitely a fluid situation - as Marvel studio head Kevin Feige teased not too long ago, "We're meeting a lot of people now."

THR's Borys Kit is now claiming that Scott Derrickson (Sinister, The Exorcism of Emily Rose) is among the directors now shortlisted for Doctor Strange; in a separate Tweet, Kit added that two of THR's previously-reported candidates - Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies) and Mark Andrews (Brave) - are still in the running for the helmer job, according to his sources.

Doctor Strange isn't the first blockbuster based on a pop intellectual property that Derrickson's been linked to in recent memory; over a year ago, he was tapped to direct a brewing film adaptation of the Deus Ex: Human Revolution video game series. It has been more than twelve months since Derrickson claimed the project was "moving like a rocket" towards becoming a reality - maybe he's now mulling a move to the world of comic book movies, since Deus Ex is apparently progressing slower than expected? (On a related note: Derrickson co-wrote Sinister 2, but won't direct that sequel, which also helps open up his schedule for an undertaking of Doctor Strange proportions.)

Sinister director Scott Derrickson shortlisted for Doctor Strange

Both Derrickson and Levine have previously delivered quality supernatural/horror fare - Derrickson more so than Levine, for sure - but with strong undercurrents of other thematic elements (drama, romance, etc.). Those feel like the appropriate credentials for someone who could be entrusted to bring the tale of the surgeon-turned Sorcerer Supreme, Stephen Strange to the big screen - albeit, in a way that befits how the MCU keeps expanding to encompass new genres, that is.

Andrews, by comparison, has Pixar's fantasy Brave as his sole feature directorial effort to date. However, he comes from a screenwriting background of sci-fi/fantasy material (he co-wrote Disney's John Carter movie and worked on the acclaimed Samurai Jack cartoon TV series) - the kind that might be just gritty, yet family-friendly enough for a Doctor Strange film set in the MCU, as it were.

That is to say, it arguably makes sense that Mavel would be looking at any/all three of the aforementioned filmmakers as possible choices to direct Doctor Strange; whether one of them has the edge on the others - your guess is as good as ours, right now. So, feel free to let us know which is your favorite of the trio (or, if you're holding out for someone else to oversee this particular Marvel project), in the comments section.

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We'll keep you updated on development for Doctor Strange.

Source: THR (link 1) (link 2)