It has been confirmed that Sam Raimi is in talks to replace Scott Derrickson as the director of Marvel Studios’ ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Magic’. Derrickson, who directed the first ‘Doctor Strange’ (2016), was set to helm the sequel, but it appears that the pressure of a studio mandated release date among other factors resulted in him walking away in early January. The screenplay will be penned by Jade Halley Bartlett.
Beloved director Raimi is best known for his horror works, including the ‘Evil Dead’ franchise, but he also delivered two of the best and most iconic superhero movies of all time, 2002’s ‘Spider-Man’ (that upside down in the rain kiss!) and 2004’s ‘Spider-Man 2’ (Doc Ock, still one of the best villains ever!). He also helmed the not-so-well-received ‘Spider-Man 3’, but it is pretty well-known that there was a lot of meddling on Sony’s part for that flick.
Raimi’s last cinematic directing gig was on Disney’s ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’. More recently, he was busy producing the STARZ series ‘Ash Vs. Evil Dead’. He also directed an episode.
Benedict Cumberbatch will return in the lead role for ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’, along with Benedict Wong as Wong. Following the first ‘Doctor Strange’ film, the duo also appeared in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’. In addition, they will be joined by Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, star of the upcoming Disney+ series ‘WandaVision’.
Though they aren’t confirmed, it is believed that Chiwetel Ejiofor and Rachel McAdams will be back as the friend-turned-enemy Mordo and Dr. Christine Palmer, respectively.
It is also rumored that Nightmare will be one of the villains in the picture, and there has been buzz of a number of other Marvel heroes being introduced, including Namor the Sub-Mariner, Brother/Doctor Voodoo, and America Chavez, and as Kevin Feige teased, “you won’t expect or won’t guess.” (That could be Chavez.)
‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ will be released on May 7, 2021.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
