Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness “Starts From Scratch” With New Director Sam Raimi

Michael Waldron is about to become a big name in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only did he serve as the head writer on Disney+’s upcoming Loki series, but he also co-wrote the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The highly-anticipated Doctor Strange sequel is set to be directed by Sam Raimi, but that wasn’t always the case. The first movie’s director, Scott Derrickson, was originally meant to helm the sequel with C. Robert Cargill penning the script. However, they left due to creative differences and Raimi was brought on board. According to a recent Vanity Fair interview with Waldron, he and Raimi had to start the movie “from scratch.”

“I knew I wanted to stay in the family,” Waldron shared. “I felt like Loki was in a great place and I was eager for what the next challenge would be.” He remembered thinking, “How do we just make a movie in two months?” He added, “But COVID quickly descended upon us. We’re not shooting now until November. So I got to spend my 2020 on Zooms with Sam Raimi. Not too bad.”

“He’s Indiana Jones in a cloak to me,” Waldron said of Doctor Strange. “He’s a hero who can take a punch. That’s what made those Harrison Ford heroes so great. Those guys get their asses kicked. Look at Stephen Strange in the first movie. He’s really getting beat up but he’s very capable and everything. I can tell you that it’s a ride…very Sam Raimi. The film is incredibly visually thrilling. John Mathieson, our D.P., who shot Gladiator and Logan—I think the look of it is going to be unlike anything you’ve seen in the MCU before.”

In addition to seeing the return of Benedict Cumberbatch in the titular role, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will also see the return of Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch. Olsen also recently spoke with Glamour Spain about her time working in the MCU and teased Wanda’s journey from WandaVision to Doctor Strange 2. “I have spent the last 7 years playing this character and she has changed and grown with me,” Olsen shared. “But it wasn’t until WandaVision and now Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, that I felt a sense of ownership and creative license with her.”

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is expected to hit theaters on March 25, 2022.