Sam Raimi In Talks To Replace Scott Derrickson On 'Doctor Strange 2'

Over the course of more than two dozen films in just over a decade, Marvel Studios has stayed fairly consistent with the quality of its films, with hardly any behind-the-scenes drama to speak of. But late last year, the studio experienced a director departing a film for only the second time (the first being the very public departure of Edgar Wright from “Ant-Man” just weeks before production was set to begin), as Scott Derrickson stepped away from “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” before its upcoming May production start date. As you might expect, this came as a shock to fans, who were concerned that the film was now doomed. But today, those worries have largely been put to bed.

READ MORE: ‘Doctor Strange 2’: Director Scott Derrickson Parts Ways With Marvel On The ‘Multiverse Of Madness’

According to Variety, Marvel Studios is in talks with a new director to take over the “Doctor Strange” sequel, and frankly, they probably couldn’t have come up with a better choice. In fact, the director they’re reportedly going to sign might actually be a better choice than Derrickson was to helm the film. That’s because the director we’re talking about is none other than Sam Raimi. Yep, he’s definitely a bigger name than the filmmakers we assumed the studio would court.

That’s right, the filmmaker who arguably really kicked off the modern superhero film genre with his 2002 “Spider-Man” film is returning to the world of capes and tights. And even though “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” is poised to be a very different project than his three ‘Spider-Man’ films, Raimi might be better suited for his new gig than he ever was for his previous Sony blockbusters.

From what we know, “Doctor Strange 2” is meant to be a more horror-themed film than the previous entry and that’s what made Derrickson pleased at the beginning. However, when he departed, it was assumed that the creative differences stemmed from Marvel Studios probably wanting to inject more Marvel-y things into the film, pulling it away from the horror that the director was hoping for. That’s pure conjecture, but it’s reasonable. If that’s the case, then Raimi is the ideal replacement, as the filmmaker has proven himself to be a very good horror director (“Evil Dead” franchise) that has a keen eye for adding humor to the terrifying scenes, which sounds very Marvel Studios to me. So, if the studio is interested in keeping a horror-esque vibe, but with the quips and jokes of a MCU film, Raimi is probably the best possible replacement.

READ MORE: ‘Doctor Strange 2’: Here Are 5 Directors That Marvel Studios Should Look At To Replace Scott Derrickson

The only sad part is that Raimi is coming into a film that is roughly four months away from production. There’s no way he’s going to have time to really overhaul the script or do anything dramatic to the story. That being said, our confidence in ‘Multiverse of Madness’ has gone up and we can’t wait to see what happens.