Deadline has reported that Marvel is trying to lock down former Spider-Man director Sam Raimi for the sequel to Doctor Strange after Scott Derrickson left the project as the director although he will stay on board as an executive producer for Doctor Strange 2.
Doctor Strange 2 was announced during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con last year. Derrickson stated that the sequel to the Benedict Cumberbatch-led movie will be the first-ever ‘scary’ Marvel movie to be produced. This is probably why Marvel has been working hard to get the Evil Dead director on board because he is probably the most ideal director to man the helm for the sequel.
Raimi was one of the very first proponents when it comes to the birth and eventual rise of the superhero genre in film and television when he directed Sony’s Spider-Man back in 2002. Sony’s Spider-Man trilogy that Raimi directed grossed an estimated $2.5 billion in the global box office. Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy though sometimes the butt of people’s jokes have actually trail blazed the way for the superhero movie genre to actually be relevant, not only because Spider-Man is one of the most popular comic book superheroes but the films themselves are actually fun and entertaining.
In all honesty, Raimi is a top choice if Marvel is truly aiming for a more horror-based Marvel film, given that the director has made mostly horror and suspense thrillers, the most recent of which is the reboot of The Grudge. It will be very interesting on where Raimi will take the direction of Doctor Strange’s sequel and how far Disney-Marvel will allow him to let loose his horror juices.
Last year’s Comic-Con also revealed that Benedict Cumberbatch will reprise his role as Dr. Stephen Strange. Benedict Wong will also return as Wong, and Chiwetel Ejiofor will also be in the sequel as the antagonist Karl Mardo. Another treat for Marvel fans is the announcement that Elizabeth Olsen will be also joining the sequel as Scarlett Witch due to the events of her upcoming Disney+ series WandaVision will meld into The Universe of Madness.
With a potential writer’s strike from the Writers Guild of America, all the major studios are bracing for the possible strike that would impact both the film and television industry. These big production studios are probably in the process of stockpiling on their 2021 theatrical schedule filled up if the WGA doesn’t get the deal that they want.