Former Doctor Strange Director Makes Fun of His Marvel Studios Exit

If there's one thing Scott Derrick wants you to know, it's that he really isn't directing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Since parting ways from the project earlier this week, Derrickson has updated his Twitter to reflect the change, making sure to point out he's not directing the long-awaited Doctor Strange follow-up. At the very least, Derrickson has a little sense of humor about the blockbuster changes.

News came across the wire Thursday night Marvel Studios and the filmmaker decided to part ways on the project due to creative differences. Shortly after the news was first announced via Variety, Derrickson took to Twitter to release a statement nearly identical to that from Marvel Studios.

"Marvel and I have mutually agreed to part ways on Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness due to creative differences," Derrickson shared on Twitter. "I am thankful for our collaboration and will remain on as [executive producer]."

Marvel's statement ended by saying they "remain grateful to Scott for his contributions to the MCU."

In the weeks leading up to the part, Derrickson became increasingly candid on the social network, at one point even going the length to sharply criticize studio-mandated release dates. Then there's the concern about the actual content of the Doctor Strange sequel. On stage at Comic-Con, Derrickson himself said the follow-up would be the MCU's first scary movie, something Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige has been walking ever since.

"I mean, there are horrifying sequences in [Raiders of the Lost Ark] that I as a little kid would [cover my eyes] when their faces melted. Or Temple of Doom, of course, or Gremlins, or Poltergeist," Feige said during a recent Q&A hosted by the New York Film Academy. "These are the movies that invented the PG-13 rating, by the way. They were PG and then they were like, 'We need another [rating].' But that's fun. It's fun to be scared in that way, and not a horrific, torturous way, but a way that is legitimately scary — because Scott Derrickson is quite good at that — but scary in the service of an exhilarating emotion."

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is expected to hit theaters May 7, 2021.

What surprises do you think are in store for the Doctor Strange sequel? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!