
The latest name mentioned for the role: action star Jason Statham of recent feature film Crank, according to British news outfit WENN. An unidentified source was quoted as saying, "It will be Doctor Who meets gangland. He will do a lot more thinking with his fists and will be a sure-fire winner with the ladies."
Personally, I'd take this news with a very large grain of salt, considering the source of the piece (WENN) is hardly the most reliable of news outlets.
This latest rumor in Who-ville comes just days after the BBC denied reports that star David Tennant was leaving the sci fi series, entering its third season in the UK this spring.
Following a report in the Sun claiming that Tennant would leave Doctor Who after the third season, Auntie Beeb shot back with a statement saying that Tennant was "committed" to playing the Doctor and, in any event, a fourth season has yet to be ordered. According to a spokesperson for the network, "When a further series is commissioned, [BBC] will be able to confirm his involvement."
So who can you believe? Personally, I would be extremely surprised if Jason Statham would ever deign to play the Doctor and don't really buy the whole "Doctor Who meets gangland" scenario, which (let's be honest) sounds completely ridiculous, no?
In the meantime, I've just received a copy of the Doctor Who Christmas Special ("The Runaway Bride") starring David Tennant (who just was voted the UK's favorite Doctor of all time, BTW) and the incomparable Catherine Tate, who showed up for a brief cameo in the Doctor Who Season Two finale "Doomsday."
I can't wait to sit down and watch this (who knows when Sci Fi will show it here in the States) and put all of this who's-the-next-Doctor nonsense to bed until the BBC officially says something one way or the other.
Comments
It's long overdue that we have a fists/fury Doctor.
Statham is p-e-r-f-e-c-t for the part. Far better than Swishy-Fruity Tennant.
This is exactly what Sylvester Stallone was going to bring to the big screen when he wanted the film rights to Doctor Who back in the late 80's. His vision is finally being realised.
RTD will not be "overseeing" much Who for much longer. He said that when it stopped being fun (and other opportunities presented themselves) he'd leave. The fact that the official Beeb News page hasn't been updated in almost a month proves there's turmoil behind the scenes. He'll be stepping down.
VIVA STATHAM! VIVA A GUN-TOTING-FISTS-FLYING Doctor #11. (Farewell Swishy-Fruity.)
(The success of Casino Royale is no doubt the impetus for this decision.)
I'm confused as to why you even watch "Doctor Who" since you seem to have nothing good to say about it. The show has never been about aggressive bullying or guns or fists. If that's what you're into, go rent some Rocky movies and stop bad mouthing a brilliant show.
For the tits, like everyone else does.