Summary
Doctor Strange 2’s original director, Scott Derrickson,shed light on why he left the MCU instead of staying on to direct the follow-up to his successful movie.
Doctor Strangein the Multiverse of Madnessis a sequel to the 2016 origin storyDoctor Strange,which detailed how Stephen Strange went from a car crash victim needing direction to a powerful and sage user of the mystic arts. Despite critical acclaim and a strong performance by leading man Benedict Cumberbatch,Doctor Strangestill ended up as one ofthe lowest-grossing MCU box office entriesafter bringing in a healthy $677 million. Still, plans for a sequel would go ahead at Marvel Studio, with Sam Raimi of Spider-Man fame directing instead of Derrickson.
RELATED:New Doctor Strange 2 Concept Art Shows Very Different Looks For One Character
While there wasn’t much controversy over the change in the director’s chair, why Derrickson willingly walked away has been burning for many. In a recent appearance onThe Playlist’s podcast The Discourse, the former MCU director opened up about the situation surrounding his exit from the project, which he had originally been in line to oversee. “All I can say is that what we said publicly is exactly the truth,” Derrickson said, referring toKevin Feige’s statements on why he leftDoctor Strange 2. “We had real creative differences. You know, the movie I wanted to make and how I wanted to make it was different than–it was just increasingly obvious that we were pulling against each other."
Derrickson has said that his vision for the sequel was an extreme departure from the first film and was more of a genuine horror film than the standard MCU fare. This creative departure led to the fracture in the filmmaker’s room, with Derrickson saying, “And that’s how you make a really bad movie, I think. When the producer or the studio and the filmmaker are making different movies, you end up with a monstrosity and, you know, that’s why I had to bounce.” The project would eventually become a far more traditional MCU movie, withCumberbatch rewriting keyDoctor Strange 2sceneson set.
Previously,Derrickson expressed being open to an MCU returnfor future projects, revealing he has an amicable relationship with his MCU collaborators and contemporaries, including Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige. “Yeah, I went to the premiere,” Derrickson confirmed. “I’m still friends with Kevin [Feige] and everything with me and Marvel is really cool. They invited me to the premiere and I went. And I’m friends with Sam [Raimi]. I love Sam, so there’s no bad blood over that.”
WhileDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesswas a major contributor tothe possibility of a canon MCU multiverse, for better or worse, it wasn’t as unique a project as Derrickson’s version might have been. The fan excitement surroundingWerewolf By Nighton release might have been a litmus test for whether fans would take to that tone on a Marvel Studios project. By all accounts, it now seems like there was a missed opportunity in that decision.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessis currently available for streaming on Disney Plus.
MORE:Captain America: Did Steve And Peggy Have Children?
