Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness needs a new director after Scott Derrickson decided the project is no longer for him.
Derrickson confirmed his departure in a tweet posted on Thursday evening, saying: “Marvel and I have mutually agreed to part ways on Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness due to creative differences.”
He added that he was thankful for the collaboration and said he would stay on as an executive producer.
Marvel and I have mutually agreed to part ways on Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness due to creative differences. I am thankful for our collaboration and will remain on as EP.
— N O S ⋊ Ɔ I ᴚ ᴚ Ǝ ᗡ ⊥ ⊥ O Ɔ S (@scottderrickson) January 10, 2020
Derrickson declined to offer any details regarding his particular grievances, but he may shed some light on his decision once the dust has settled.
“Creative differences” can mean a whole range of things, from disputes over the script or style of the movie, to friction over the cast or size of the budget. As noted by The Hollywood Reporter, the 53-year-old writer, director, and producer tweeted somewhat cryptically just last month that “studio release dates are the enemy of art,” a comment that may have indicated he wanted more time to work on the production.
It’s also worth noting that while he wrote and directed the 2016 Doctor Strange movie, he had no hand in the script for the sequel. In addition, Derrickson promised at Comic-Con 2019 that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness would be “the first scary” Marvel movie, a desire that Marvel Studios may have pushed back on.
The movie was expected to start filming in May 2020, ahead of a release currently set for May 2021. With the news of Derrickson’s departure only just breaking, it’s too early to say what impact it will have on the movie’s scheduling, but it’ll need to find a director pretty soon if shooting is to start in the spring.
This isn’t the first time a director has turned their back on a movie and it won’t be the last. Danny Boyle, for example, caused a stir in 2018 when he suddenly departed the latest James Bond project, also citing creating differences.
