Tickets are officially on sale for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and director Sam Raimi is shedding more light on the tone of his first entry in the MCU.
The modern age of comic book movies can be traced back to Raimi’s influential Spider-Man trilogy in the 2000s, but the filmmaker first gained a following with the cult classic Evil Dead films of the 1980s. Raimi’s work in horror also includes 2009’s Drag Me to Hell, and he served as a producer on 30 Days of Night and the two Don’t Breath films.
In a recent interview with Fandango, Raimi discussed blending the worlds of horror and superheroes to create Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is Bringing Horror to the MCU
While we may not see a character don a chainsaw arm a la Ash Williams in Evil Dead, Raimi says Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness won’t be a completely light-hearted fare.
“It is spooky at some times and scary at others. It’s unknown what you’ll find in the multiverse. It’s within that unknown that suspense and darkness exists. A tool to titillate the audience’s fear. Plus, Doctor Strange in the comics has always dealt in universes and dimensions that were quite spooky, so we tried to bring some of that into this film.”
RELATED: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Tickets Now Available
Originally, Raimi wasn’t the first choice to direct Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The director of the first Doctor Strange film Scott Derrickson was set to return for the sequel but left the project due to creative differences. Even though a switch was made in the director’s chair, Raimi said in the same interview with Fandango that the intent of the film remained the same.
“I think when the original director, Scott Derrickson, and Kevin promoted the coming of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, they said that it was going to be the first Marvel superhero film that had an element of horror to it. I hope I’m not misquoting them. But even after Scott left the picture due to creative differences, that was still the mandate — to make the first Marvel film that had an element of horror. So, I kept true to their original statements.”
Multiverse of Madness marks Raimi’s first comic book film since the box office smash but negatively received Spider-Man 3 back in 2007. It’s also the first film of any kind Raimi has directed since 2013’s Oz the Great and Powerful, as he’s shifted into more of a producing role over the last ten years.
The inclusion of Raimi is creating even more anticipation for Multiverse of Madness, both with his Marvel history, and the unique visual style of his past films like Darkman, Army of Darkness, and of course the Evil Dead and Spider-Man films. The MCU is at its best when directors are allowed to bring their own vision to a project. Just look at James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy films, or Thor: Ragnarok from Taika Waititi as prime examples of that.
RELATED: Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness Runtime Might Have Just Been Revealed
When asked by Fandango if he would ever come back to work in the MCU, Raimi had this to say:
“Absolutely. It’s like the world’s best toy box to be able to play at Marvel. I’d love to come back and tell another tale, especially with the great management they’ve got there.”
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will feature the return of Benedict Cumberbatch as the former Sorcerer Supreme, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, Benedict Wong as Wong, and the debuting Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez. The film is also confirmed to see Patrick Stewart reprise his role as Charles Xavier from the Fox X-Men films, and is expected to contain even more cameos and surprises along the way.
What’s your excitement level for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness? Were you able to get your tickets for opening night? What are you most looking forward to from the film? Make sure to leave a comment, and follow us on social media as we get closer to our next journey into the MCU multiverse.
Source: Fandango
KEEP READING: Everything Everywhere All At Once is Bona Fide Masterpiece
