The announcement is coming people. I mean, it's tomorrow and in less than twenty four hours we'll know the identity of the next Doctor. The BBC plans a special for Sunday August 4 which will not only be a retrospective of the half-century of Doctor Who, but will also unveil the actor or actress who has been cast in the role of the Twelfth Doctor. At San Diego Comic Con a few weeks ago, Steven Moffat joked that he was currently writing the script for the Christmas Episode, in which the Doctor will regenerate, and that he wasn't on the page in which he killed the Doctor... yet. It's reported that the casting process for Twelve has been underway and was given code-name Whodini.
According to a press release from the BBC, with breaking news on Thursday from Bleeding Cool, the special will air on Sunday, but recent updates included an updated webite. Hopefully there will be no information leaks as to the identity of the new Doctor in the next 23 hours. At SDCC, Moffat threatened to discontinue any Comic Con exclusives if the trailer for the 50th Anniversary special was leaked online. Doctor Who fans for the most part have been pretty great about that sort of thing, considering Season 7.2 shipped early, allowing buyers the ability to see "The Name of the Doctor" before it aired.
But who will be the person to take over for Matt Smith when he makes his departure in December? Since the debut of Doctor Who in 1963, eleven men have officially portrayed The Doctor, with a host of others who have filled the role unofficially and alternatively on television, in audio books, and on stage. I, for one, was shocked to see that they were making this announcement more than four months before the Christmas Special is to air, but I'm super excited for Sunday.
People have asked me my opinion on the subject. I had tweeted previously that I had a post planned with a list and I started out with about twenty potential Doctors. This included Rupert Grint and Simon Pegg, which I have seen show up on the lists of others. I also had initially considered Matthew Lewis and Henry Cavill as well, but I quickly realized that I was going to have to make some decisions and narrow my picks down. There has been a lot of interest in Dame Helen Mirren as well. But here are my top twelve potential Doctors. My thoughts after the break!
In no particular order except number one for @jessie_rabbit whose favorite phrase is "RICHARD MADDEN ALL THE THINGS"
Richard MaddenYou might know Madden best as the King in the North Robb Stark. SPOILERS** But since he's been dethroned, he might be good for a role as The Doctor. He's young, just 27, the same age Matt Smith was when he was announced as the Eleventh Doctor. Madden is charismatic, talented, and has a great sense of style. He showed great emotional depth in his portrayal of eldest son of the tragedy befallen Stark family. I'd be anxious to see the kind of standard costume we'd see for him if he were to take up the mantle. Oh, and he's Scottish! The fact that he currently dates Jenna Louise-Coleman could help or hinder the situation, but they seem to have great chemistry even from just pictures. I mean, they're a really attractive couple. Really.
(Photo: Collider)
Tom HardyTom Hardy is an incredibly talented actor. I don't think there is any doubt about that. His break out role in Inception led to a role in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. I did enjoy his performance as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises and I thought he was pretty darn terrific in Lawless. I think he'd bring an interesting level of intensity to the role. He does have a funny and romantic side. I was probably one of the only people who saw (and liked) This Means War, but I did. Even that had an action element to it as well. I think he'd certainly bring a lot of action to the role.
(Photo: Fanpop)
Ben WhishawLet me just talk for a moment about how adorable Ben Wishaw is. If you haven't seen Skyfall, first of all shame on you, second of all he is just the best person to play Q ever. The level of snark and sass was fantastic. I'd love to see another bespectacled Doctor and he had the best costuming as Q, but I also adore this glasses-free version. I think he'd an extra level of quirky intelligence to an already smart role. I was told by a friend that he was also quite good in Cloud Atlas, but I have yet to see that movie.
(Photo: Digital Spy)
Many will know Pulver from her role as Irene Adler from A Scandal in Belgravia, the first episode of Sherlock Series 2. So, she's no stranger to Mark Gatiss and Moffat. She's recently had stints on Da Vinci's Demons and True Blood. If there was a female Doctor, I would absolutely hope it was her. She has a very commanding presence and I think she'd build a good chemistry with the Coleman. She has a strong background in theater which I think would enable her to tackle any role with class.
(Photo: The Standard)
Colin FirthThere's not much to say about Colin Firth. The man is amazing. He's probably one of my favorite people on the planet because Mr. Darcy and Mark Darcy. I adore his face and I think seeing him pilot the TARDIS would be fantastic. He probably grew up watching Doctor Who, as he's 53 this year. I don't think there'd be a romantic element to his interaction with a companion, nothing May-December. There's no real rhyme or reason to me having picked him, he's just terrific.
(Photo: Moviepilot.de)
Barnes isn't a very well-known actor. You may know him from Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. He also played the eponymous role in Dorian Gray (opposite the aforementioned Firth). The roles aren't terribly memorable and would probably put him in a similar place that Matt Smith was when he was announced as The Doctor. He also has a very youthful appearance.
(Image: Fanpop)
Damian LewisLewis is currently starring on Homeland, which I've not actually seen, but I did like Life when I watched it. In the new adaptation of Romeo and Juliet written by Downton Abbey's Julian Fellowes, he will be playing Lord Capulet. He's seems like a very versatile actor. He'll even have a role in a Civil War miniseries that premieres this year. But of course, it's very easy for a British actor to do an American accent and the character he'll be portraying was from Ohio. And he's Ginger!
(Image: Fanpop)
I think that Ayoade would be incredibly fun. With his experience on The Mighty Boosh and The IT Crowd, he is probably the most comedic actor on this list. He'd be just brilliant. He has great timing and even though the movie was trash, I quite liked him in The Watch. Again, he'd bring an extra bit of quirkiness to the role. Plus, his hair is brilliant and I think that has to be a trend that continues on Doctor Who.
(Photo: Backstage)
Dan StevensOkay, y'all, let's talk about Dan Stevens. We know him as Matthew Crawley from Downton Abbey who **SPOILERS** seems to have met an untimely demise after getting into a car accident. So, he's looking for work! He's also hella-dreamy. I mean, look at those eyes. And I love love love his new post-Downton look. I would keep the dark hair for sure. Hell, he can keep that new facial hair as well. Physical appearance aside, he absolutely won my heart and ripped it out in his portrayal of Matthew Crawley and I think he would bring that level of emotion to The Doctor as well. He's also editor of a literary magazine called The Junket which is quite brilliant if you ask me.
(Image: Heatworld)
Oh, Idris Elba, how do I love thee, let me count the ways. You have such a commanding presence. You make me want to obey your every command. When you so "Run" I would surely run. And if The Doctor says that he's saving the world, you better count on the fact that he's "cancelling the Apocalypse!" In all seriousness. I understand he was quite terrific in The Wire. Though I had issues with the movie as a whole, I thought he was fantastic in Prometheus. The man is unstoppable. He's a force of nature. And with his already felt presence on British programming with Luther, I'm sure fans would respond very well to the transition from Eleven to Twelve.
(Photo: Newsone)
Hugh DancyHugh Dancy's mighty unlikely because of the success of Hannibal, but a girl could dream couldn't he? He doesn't have a great deal of exposure in the US other than Hannibal, but he's done a lot of work in Britain. If you saw Ella Enchanted, he was Prince Char and was super adorable in that role. But we don't have to have an adorable Doctor. Dancy's acting chops are top notch and I think that he would be able to handle the role very well. If you've seen him as Will Graham, then you'll know that he can command a scene with great depth.
(Image: Paper Droids)
Rounding out my top twelve choices for the Twelfth Doctor is Chiwetel Ejiofor. He will star in the fall release 12 Years a Slave which is already gaining Oscar buzz. He also had a role in geek favorite Serenity. Oh, and he was in Love, Actually, so that's bit of an indication of his range from romantic, to dramatic, to space Western. And a host of roles in between. He has a diverse career and I think that he would be another actor who could bring an intensity to the role. I think that Christopher Eccleston's Nine was very intense so this might be a nice return to that.
(Photo: All Movie)
I'm no expert on Doctor Who. I could be totally off base, but these are twelve individuals that I think are interesting to consider for the role of our favorite Time Lord. David Tennant will reprise his role as Ten and will team up with Matt Smith's Eleven for the 50th Anniversary Episode which will air on Saturday November 23. Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor airs tomorrow, Sunday August 4 at 2PM EST live from the UK and will be broadcast on BBC America.
But... what does this mean?
also, in totally unrelated news, i'll have a very exciting announcement tomorrow. Hint: it has something to do with the UK and phone booths.
— Misha Collins (@mishacollins) August 3, 2013
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