Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness may have a new director to go with its new release date.
During an interview tied to his upcoming anthology series for streaming platform Quibi, original Spider-Man franchise director Sam Raimi offhandedly mentioned he’s working on the sequel to 2016’s Doctor Strange.
Although he stopped short of officially confirming he’s directing the film, his involvement lends some support to an earlier rumor suggesting he was in talks to helm the movie.
His potential involvement with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness came up while he was discussing a scene in 2004’s Spider-Man 2 in which the Marvel sorcerer’s name was dropped by J.K. Simmons’ character, the irascible Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson. In the scene, Jameson dismisses the idea of naming the city’s latest villain “Doctor Strange” because the name was already taken.
“When we had that moment in Spider-Man 2, I had no idea that we would ever be making a Doctor Strange movie,” Raimi told ComingSoon.net. “So it was really funny to me that coincidentally that line was in the movie. I gotta say I wish we had the foresight to know that I was going to be involved in the project.”
The director of 2002’s Spider-Man and its two sequels, Raimi hasn’t directed a superhero movie since 2007’s Spider-Man 3 brought the Tobey Maguire-led franchise to an end.
If Raimi does direct Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, he’ll fill the director’s chair vacated by Scott Derrickson, who directed the 2016 film and was initially expected to return behind the camera. Derrickson abruptly left Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in January, citing creative differences with the studio.
Although Derrickson won’t be returning for the sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will bring back Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular Sorcerer Supreme of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film is also expected to feature MCU actress Elizabeth Olsen as her Avengers character, Wanda Maximoff, better known as the Scarlet Witch.
Originally scheduled to premiere in May 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will now hit theaters November 5, 2021.
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