It was announced early last year that Scott Derrickson would no longer helm Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness after parting ways with Marvel Studios over "creative differences," and we found out shortly after that none other than Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, the original Spider-Man trilogy) would step in to replace him.
Derrickson has never fully elaborated on the specifics of his departure from the sequel, but his co-writer on the first film, C. Robert Cargill, has now shared some new details on what led to the filmmaker deciding to step away.
It seems those creative differences were legit, as "Scott wanted to do one movie, and Marvel wanted to do another movie," but it sounds like Derrickson might have considered staying on if it weren't for another project he really wanted to work with Cargill on, The Black Phone.
"It came down to Scott, and Scott’s like, ‘Well, I can make this movie that I’m compromising what I wanted to do on, or I could make The Black Phone,’ and he goes, ‘You know, I want to make a movie with Cargill. I’m gonna go make The Black Phone.’ It was, as he said publicly, it was a hard choice to leave Strange behind; but it made it easier that he had a movie that he was looking forward to. And then the experience was just so great that we’re just are so proud and happy with what we made."
We know Derrickson wanted to add more horror elements this time around, and it's thought that Kevin Feige and co. may have balked at the thought of upping the scare factor in a PG-13 film. That's pure speculation, of course, but it's certainly one possible reason for the split.
Plot details for Doctor Strange 2 are still under wraps, but the title obviously suggests that the alternate reality-spanning Multiverse will play a big part. Benedict Cumberbatch will return as the Master of the Mystic Arts, and he'll be joined by Benedict Wong as Wong, Rachel McAdams as Dr. Christine Palmer, and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo. New additions include Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, and Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez.
Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness is set to hit theaters on March 25, 2022.