The 8th Doctor knows who he wants to be his next face: a vampire, an evil witch from Narnia, and the Ancient One. Actor Paul McGann, who portrayed the short-lived 8th iteration of the Time Lord on Doctor Who, took to Twitter on January 31 to tell the world that he wants the ethereal Tilda Swinton to play the 13th Doctor.
News of Peter Capaldi’s departure after Season 10 prompted the usual firestorm of emotions and the time-honored Doctor Who guessing game: who’s next? Calls for the first female Doctor seem more prominent than ever. McGann is simply the next person in the lineup to point out that the Doctor has never been anything but white and male in the character’s 50-year history.
As cool as it would be to have Swinton at the TARDIS controls, muttering to herself in that characteristic sing-song voice and elegantly flailing from one lever to the other, Bill at her side, it’s very unlikely.
Doctor Who’s budget could hardly compare to the projects someone such as Swinton has taken on in recent years. And while she’s known to be all too happy to take on indie or off-the-beaten-path projects (that still blew up) — Snowpiercer, Only Lovers Left Alive — her attachment to bigger names with more explosive budgets — Doctor Strange, Hail, Caesar!, Trainwreck, The Grand Budapest Hotel — dashes hope of her taking on Doctor Who.
But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. It’s still fun to think that a name as big as Swinton’s could be attached to Who, and her having a former Doctor in her corner can only help with that possibility.
Capaldi’s final season as the Doctor, during which he will eventually regenerate into a new face, premieres in April.
