It was disappointing when 2016’s ‘Doctor Strange’ helmer Scott Derrickson left ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ on January 9th. He was a director clearly passionate about the universe of Stephen Strange and the idea of sending the Sorcerer Supreme into a so-called “Multiverse of Madness” was intriguing.
However, per Variety, while Derrickson will remain as an executive producer, a new director is in talks: Sam Raimi.
Raimi, of course, is the director of the original ‘Spider-Man’ trilogy starring Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker, but famously cut his teeth as the director of the ‘Evil Dead’ trilogy. He followed his Sony comic book trilogy with his return to horror, ‘Drag Me to Hell.’ Raimi’s films generally feature a mix of genuine horror and macabre humor, a mix that may make him uniquely fit to direct the weirdness of ‘Doctor Strange.’
Both Benedict Cumberbatch and Benedict Wong will reprise their roles of Doctor Strange and Wong (respectively) in the film, with the addition of MCU alum Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch. Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Baron Mordo is also expected to make an appearance. However, Rachel McAdams, who portrayed Christine Palmer, will not return for this outing.
The film will have two lead-ins from the Disney+ shows ‘WandaVision’ and ‘Loki,’ which are set for this December and spring 2021, respectively.
There are no known story details for the sequel, but it will be the ‘first scary MCU film,’ featuring horror components and sequences.
The only known screenwriter for the film is newcomer Jade Bartlett. Filming will begin May 4th in the United Kingdom.
‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ is still set to release on May 7, 2021.
Source: Variety
Jacob Tyler contributed to this article.