Highlights
- Scott Derrickson left Doctor Strange 2 due to creative differences with Marvel Studios. He envisioned a genuine horror film, while the studio wanted a more traditional MCU movie.
- Derrickson believed that if the producer and filmmaker have different visions, it would result in a “monstrosity.” He didn’t want to make a bad movie and therefore chose to leave the project.
- Despite his departure, Derrickson maintains a friendly relationship with Kevin Feige and other Marvel collaborators. He attended the premiere of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and holds no ill will.
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 Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a sequel to the 2016 origin story Doctor 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 Strange still ended up as one of the lowest-grossing MCU box office entries after 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.
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 on The 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 to Kevin Feige’s statements on why he left Doctor 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, with Cumberbatch rewriting key Doctor Strange 2 scenes on set.
Previously, Derrickson expressed being open to an MCU return for 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.”
While Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was a major contributor to the 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 surrounding Werewolf By Night on 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 Madness is currently available for streaming on Disney Plus.
Source: The Playlist
