Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness finds a new writer in Loki showrunner Michael Waldron. The Doctor Strange sequel found itself without a director last month, after original helmsman Scott Derrickson stepped down over creative differences. It’s been speculated the filmmaker, who was best known for his work in the horror genre before directing the original Doctor Strange, wanted to take the sequel further into the realm of horror than Marvel Studios was comfortable with.
For the past few weeks, Marvel has been actively searching for Derrickson’s replacement, in the hope of keeping Doctor Strange 2 moving on schedule to begin production this May for a theatrical release one year later. Currently up for the job is Sam Raimi, a director who’s known for his work in both the horror and superhero genres, with the Evil Dead franchise and Tobey Maguire-Kirsten Dunst Spider-Man trilogy under his belt. Derrickson has even come out and voiced his support for Raimi, calling him a “great choice” to take over Doctor Strange 2. Now, it appears Marvel has found a new writer to work on the film with (potentially) Raimi.
THR is reporting Waldron, who’s serving as showrunner on the upcoming Disney+ MCU Loki TV show, has boarded the Doctor Strange sequel, taking over from original Multiverse of Madness writer Jade Bartlett. This is the second time Marvel has turned to one of the writers of its Disney+ MCU series to work on a movie, having recently hired WandaVision writer Megan McDonnell to script Captain Marvel 2. It’s especially appropriate in this case since MCU head honcho Kevin Feige previously confirmed the Loki TV show will tie directly into Doctor Strange 2.
With Raimi in talks to take over as director, it only makes sense for Marvel to bring in a new writer to realize his vision for Doctor Strange 2. Thanks to his work on Loki (which doesn’t premiere until 2021), Waldron should already be well-versed in the MCU’s lore and have a firm grasp on how to connect the dots between Multiverse of Madness and the Disney+ shows. The plan is for the Phase 4 MCU movies and TV series to interconnect with and expand upon one another, much more than the now-defunct Marvel Television’s projects and the films did back in Phases 1-3. Of course, more casual viewers should still be able to enjoy Doctor Strange 2 and the rest of the Phase 4 movie slate without watching everything on Disney+.
Waldron’s hiring also has interesting implications for the larger connection between Doctor Strange 2 and the Loki TV show. It’s been speculated Loki, who possesses the Space Stone, will be the key to the Multiverse of Madness and have a role to play in either creating and/or saving it from Wanda Maximoff aka. Scarlet Witch. The latter is similarly said to be an important part of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, building off the events of WandaVision (which premieres on Disney+ in December). If so, the MCU may finally start to live up to its (in)famous “It’s all connected” tagline in Phase 4.
Source: THR
- 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
