Doctor Strange 2: Sam Raimi confirms he’s joining the MCU sequel

Former Spider-Man director, Sam Raimi, is set to make his mark in the MCU. He has confirmed he’s involved with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Rumours were rife a few months ago that Sam Raimi would be replacing Scott Derrickson as the director of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Raimi has now confirmed that he will be involved with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We’re assuming he is definitely directing the film, but noticeably Raimi hasn’t stated that clearly.

Speaking to ComingSoon.Net, Raimi was wistful about including a Doctor Strange reference in his Spider-Man film trilogy, and how it inadvertently foreshadowed his upcoming involvement in the franchise.

"“I loved Doctor Strange as a kid, but he was always after Spider-Man and Batman for me, he was probably at number five for me of great comic book characters… He was so original, but when we had that moment in Spider-Man 2 I had no idea that we would ever be making a Doctor Strange movie, so it was really funny to me that coincidentally that line was in the movie. I gotta say I wish we had the foresight to know that I was going to be involved in the project."

Raimi is best known for the Spider-Man films starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst in the early 2000s. The first two films continue to be among the favorites for many fans, but the third instalment of the trilogy was universally panned by fans and critics alike.

Marvel Studios seems keen to recapture the runaway success of its more comedic and campy entries, like Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 1 and Thor: Ragnarok, which may explain why Raimi has been picked for the Doctor Strange sequel despite the poor reception to his most recent comic book foray as director.

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Raimi’s imminent arrival in the MCU also sparks another question – will we see more characters from his Spider-Man trilogy appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness? For many, the enduring image from Spider-Man: Far From Home, was the surprise appearance of J. K. Simmons as The Daily Bugle chief, J. Jonah Jameson. Simmons was Peter Parker’s boss-from-hell in Raimi’s trilogy, and with the director joining the MCU, it’s possible that the Doctor Strange sequel could merge the multiverses a la Crisis on Infinite Earths or Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

The concept of the multiverse in the MCU came into existence and was quickly debunked, by Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio, but Doctor Strange could prove that villain wrong.

Pre-production on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is scheduled to begin in June. The film will see the return of Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Stephen Strange and Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff. Benedict Wong as Strange’s ally Wong has not confirmed his return, nor is there any update on whether Chiwetel Ejiofor will star as the villain Baron Mordo. No other cast members have been announced at this time.

How excited or concerned are you about Sam Raimi taking the helm of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness? Let us know in the comments.