Filmmaker Sam Raimi helped usher in the modern age of superhero cinema with Spider-Man back in 2002, a realm in which he will return to with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, with star Benedict Cumberbatch recently detailing that the filmmaker fully lives up to the impressive reputation that he’s built for himself, though is also open to collaborating with the film’s cast. Given that the success of the original Doctor Strange was due in part to director Scott Derrickson’s contributions, Cumberbatch’s comments seem to imply that fans can expect a similar amount of excitement with the follow-up film.
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“Sam, amazing. He’s so collaborative,” Cumberbatch shared with Collider. “God, he comes with the baggage of an icon. He’s an incredible force, especially in this genre. But he’s so humble, he’s so nice, he’s so appreciative, you really wanna serve him. And boy, when he’s happy, you know you’ve done something right. He’s so good at getting you there and getting it there. It’s been a very, very collaborative process, this one. Our origin stories, I guess, and obviously the beasts that were the Avengers films to be a part of were a thrill, but you’re kind of just along for the ride. You do the best with what you’ve already got given to do. The second time around, there’s a bit more of, ‘So, what do you want to do, and how do we go about solving this?’ So it feels very creative. Scarily so, sometimes.”
Up through the ’90s, Marvel heroes had been severely lacking on the big screen, with films like Blade and X-Men teasing the potential of these characters. Raimi’s Spider-Man in 2002 shattered all expectations, becoming one of the biggest hits of the year, and ushering in a number of other Marvel movies. Following Spider-Man 3 in 2007, it seemed like his time with superheroes had come to an end, with the announcement that he was stepping in for the Doctor Strange sequel following Derrickson’s departure largely exciting audiences.
“I loved Doctor Strange as a kid, but he was always after Spider-Man and Batman for me, he was probably at number five for me of great comic book characters,” Raimi previously shared of the character. “He was so original, but when we had that moment in Spider-Man 2 I had no idea that we would ever be making a Doctor Strange movie, 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.”
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is expected to hit theaters on March 25, 2022.
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