Former Doctor Strange 2 Director Breaks Silence on Sam Raimi Taking Over

Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been taken on a roller coaster ride over the last few weeks with new trailers, new announcements, and some major setbacks for one of their major franchises. Fans were stunned to learn Scott Derrickson had parted ways with Marvel Studios just months before filming was set to begin on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, a movie that many assume will set the stage for the future of the franchise. Then the hits kept on coming last night with word that Marvel was in negotiations to sign Sam Raimi to direct the film, bringing the horror icon back to the superhero universe more than a decade after the release of his Spider-Man trilogy.

Now Derrickson himself has broken silence about the news, lending his support to Raimi for directing the Doctor Strange sequel.

"I've worked with Sam Raimi. One of the nicest people I've known in the film business, and as a director, a true living legend," Derrickson wrote on Twitter. "What a great choice to take over Doctor Strange."

Raimi is considered a fitting replacement for Derrickson by many fans, especially after his horror films like Evil Dead and Drag Me to Hell achieved cult-favorite status. But it's his work with Tobey Maguire on the original Spider-Man movies that has cemented him as a favorite, despite the misstep of Spider-Man 3.

Considering the original pitch for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness seemed to indicate it would be a blend of superhero action with horror sensibilities, Raimi seems like the perfect candidate to step in for Derrickson.

The synopsis in the listing reads: "After the events of Avengers: Endgame, Dr. Stephen Strange continues his research on the Time Stone. But an old friend turned enemy seeks to destroy every sorcerer on Earth, messing with Strange's plan and also causing him to unleash an unspeakable evil."

We'll see if any of these plans change, but Marvel Studios has big plans for this installment — it will be set up with the upcoming Disney+ series WandaVision, which is set to debut this December. That series will show Wanda Maximoff embrace her reality-changing abilities as Scarlet Witch, setting up her appearance in the Doctor Strange sequel.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is reportedly still on track to begin filming in May of this year, meaning it will not be pushed back from its release date of May 7, 2021.