Original Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness director Scott Derrickson has voiced his support for Sam Raimi taking over on the MCU movie sequel. Derrickson’s exit from the Phase 4 film last month came as a shock, especially since his efforts on the first Doctor Strange were so well-received. The filmmaker stepped down over creative differences, having previously announced Doctor Strange 2 would be the “first scary MCU film” at San Diego Comic-Con 2019. Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige later said the Doctor Strange sequel is less a horror movie and more a “big MCU film with scary sequences in it”, leading many fans to speculate Derrickson and the studio disagreed over just how far to take the movie’s horror elements.

Even after Derrickson’s departure, Marvel is moving full-speed ahead with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, with plans to start filming this May for its release a year later. There was finally an update on the director front last night, when reports broke revealing Sam Raimi - no stranger to either superhero or horror movies - has entered talks to helm the Doctor Strange sequel. A lot of people have already voiced their whole-hearted support for this development, with Derrickson now officially among them.

Today, the director took to Twitter to voice his approval of Raimi as his replacement on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. You can read his full tweet below.

As mentioned, Derrickson is far from the first one to back Raimi as his replacement on Doctor Strange 2. Best known for his acclaimed work on the Evil Dead franchise and the Spider-Man movie trilogy from the 2000s, the filmmaker has long demonstrated a mastery of blending crowd-pleasing action with scarier elements (Doctor Octopus’ “birth” in Spider-Man 2 being a prime example). He also combined the horror and superhero genres more directly - to positive effect - with 1990’s Darkman, paying homage to the classic Universal monster movies from the ’30s. Even his last feature effort as director, 2013’s Oz the Great and Powerful, found ways to incorporate freakier elements into a PG-rated live-action Disney family film. In other words, if anyone can deliver a scary Doctor Strange sequel that both Marvel and fans can get onboard with, it’s someone like him.

Raimi’s involvement with Doctor Strange 2 is all the more encouraging, given how important the MCU film is shaping up to be. It’s already confirmed to include Scarlet Witch and tie into the WandaVision series premiering on Disney+ this December, but will also have strong ties to the Loki TV show hitting Disney’s streaming service in 2021. If that and continuing Stephen Strange’s story wasn’t enough, rumor is the film will further introduce several important comic book characters to the MCU (America Chavez aka. Miss America among them). People would no doubt sit easier knowing a seasoned pro like Raimi is at the helm of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - whatever it’s got planned - so here’s hoping he eventually signs on the dotted line.

Source: Scott Derrickson/Twitter

  • Black Widow Release Date: 2021-07-09 The Eternals Release Date: 2021-11-05 Shang Chi Release Date: 2021-09-03 Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness Release Date: 2022-05-06 Thor: Love and Thunder Release Date: 2022-07-08 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Release Date: 2022-11-11