Sam Raimi in talks to direct Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
By Ashley Hurst
It looks like Sam Raimi will once more be taking on a Marvel movie! Per Variety, he’s in talks to make his first foray into the Marvel Cinematic Universe to direct Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. While the claim is that Raimi is only in talks to direct the Doctor Strange sequel, with production slated to begin in May, everyone had best get a move on.
Raimi is best known for his beloved Spider-Man trilogy, which began back in 2002 with Tobey Maguire in the lead role. Before that, he had wide recognition for writing and directing The Evil Dead and its sequels. The Evil Dead is a franchise that Raimi has claimed he’d like to return to sometime in the future, but apparently not before he’s finished with superheroes!
Marvel’s hunt for a new director began on January 9, when it was reported that Scott Derrickson, who directed the first Doctor Strange movie, had dropped out of the project. The reason? “Creative differences,” that old standby.
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
Raimi hasn’t been in the director’s chair in a while. Since helming the divisive Spider-Man 3 in 2007, he directed Disney’s Wizard of Oz prequel, Oz the Great and Powerful, in 2013. He also co-wrote and directed the 2009 horror movie Drag Me to Hell. And that’s been in for big budget movies.
He was also in negotiations back in 2018 to direct a movie adaptation of Patrick Rothfuss’ fantasy series The Kingkiller Chronicle, according to another report by Variety. But we haven’t heard about that in a long while, and the Kingkiller TV series is on shaky ground nowadays, so all of that may have fallen through.
Marvel President Kevin Feige has previously teased that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be the MCU’s first horror movie, or at least that it’ll have more horror elements than any movie the studio has yet produced. This could be right in Raimi’s wheelhouse, since he’s known for his uniquely horrific style.
I’m excited to see what Raimi’s take will be. He’s definitely got a unique style, and I think he’d be a good fit for the MCU.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set to premiere May 7, 2021.
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