20 Hugely Unexpected Roles In Upcoming Movies
2. Tilda Swinton (Doctor Strange)
The Role: The Ancient One, who becomes Doctor Strange's (Benedict Cumberbatch) mentor in mastering the mystical arts.
Why It's Unexpected: Because in the source material, the character is an Asian man, whereas here the Ancient One has been re-purposed as a Celtic woman, leading to a pile of whitewashing accusations from certain quarters of the fanbase.
Will It Work?: Definitely. Even ignoring the fact that Swinton has played a variety of androgynous, ambiguous characters throughout her career, she's a chameleon and disappears into practically every role she plays.
There will certainly be additional controversy about the role when the movie releases, but if there's anything fans can rely on, it's Swinton committing 110% to the part.