Sam Raimi confirms he's directing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
The acclaimed Spider-Man filmmaker had long been rumoured to be taking over from original director Scott Derrickson
Sam Raimi has confirmed that he will direct the upcoming Marvel movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, replacing original director Scott Derrickson who stood down from the project in January.
The news marks a sensational return to superhero filmmaking for Raimi - who famously helmed the Spider-Man trilogy starring Tobey Maguire in the '00s.
Rumours had been circling for some time that the Evil Dead director was set to replace Derrickson - who was behind the first Doctor Strange film in 2016 - but this is the first time that Raimi himself has confirmed the news.
Speaking to Coming Soon, Raimi commented on a reference that is made to the Marvel character in 2002's Spider-Man 2.
He said, "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.
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"I gotta say I wish we had the foresight to know that I was going to be involved in the project."
Raimi also admitted that while he has been a long time fan of Doctor Strange - the character was never his favourite superhero.
"I loved Doctor Strange as a kid, but he was always after Spider-Man and Batman for me," he said. "He was probably at number five for me of great comic book characters.”
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will serve as a sequel to the 2016 film, which Benedict Cumberbatch reprising his role as the titular character.
It was originally earmarked for a May 2021 release, but is one of many Marvel projects to have been pushed back as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and is now scheduled to appear in cinemas on 5th November 2021.
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