‘Doctor Strange’ helmer Scott Derrickson is out of the sequel, ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’. Marvel Studios issued a statement to Deadline, stating:
“Marvel Studios and Scott Derrickson have amicably parted ways on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness due to creative differences. Derrickson will stay on as an executive producer and we remain grateful to Scott for his contributions to the MCU.”
Following that release, Derrickson himself took to Twitter with his own announcement:
Marvel and I have mutually agreed to part ways on Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness due to creative differences. I am thankful for our collaboration and will remain on as EP.
— N O S ⋊ Ɔ I ᴚ ᴚ Ǝ ᗡ ⊥ ⊥ O Ɔ S (@scottderrickson) January 10, 2020
Less than a month ago, Derrickson vented on Twitter about the release date being imposed on him. He didn’t name names, it was pretty clear that he had Disney/Marvel Studios in mind.
Studio release dates are the enemy of art.
— N O S ⋊ Ɔ I ᴚ ᴚ Ǝ ᗡ ⊥ ⊥ O Ɔ S (@scottderrickson) December 16, 2019
But just days ago, he was playfully posting about an absurd rumor that an obscure Atlas Comics monster would show up in ‘Multiverse of Madness’.
OH GOD NO — NOW DO I HAVE TO ACTUALLY PUT GOOGAM IN THE MOVIE?!!
WHO IN THE UNHOLY HELL IS GOOGAM ANYWAY?!!
YOU DON’T MEAN THE SON OF GOOM FROM PLANET X?!!
NOOOOOOOOO!!
AAAHHHHHHHH!!!#ItsNotGoogam https://t.co/6lYUkuRAYC
— N O S ⋊ Ɔ I ᴚ ᴚ Ǝ ᗡ ⊥ ⊥ O Ɔ S (@scottderrickson) January 5, 2020
But now, it appears all kidding is aside. As we’ve seen in the past, an “executive producer” credit can mean anything from someone being very hands-on or having absolutely NOTHING to do with a movie their name is attached to. Something tells me Derrickson’s role in ‘Multiverse of Madness’ is going to be the latter.
Corporate-mandated release dates are the norm, not just for Disney, but for every major studio as they try and time their releases to avoid competing tentpole movies to maximize performance. But it definitely seems like Derrickson was going to have to jump through a few more hoops compared to other movie directors. We already know that the events of the Disney+ ‘WandaVision’ and ‘Loki’ series will set up ‘Multiverse of Madness’ and that Elizabeth Olsen would be co-starring in the movie. There are also RUMORS that the villain Nightmare will appear in both ‘WandaVision’ and ‘Multiverse of Madness’.
It’s possible there were even more edicts that were being foisted upon Derrickson regarding this sequel.
‘Doctor Strange’ came out in 2016 and grossed $677 million worldwide. It wasn’t the best or most memorable Marvel movie, but the visual effects were dazzling, and the film was an overall success.
Stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Benedict Wong are expected to return. There hasn’t been any word on Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, or Tilda Swinton.
Jade Bartlett is writing the screenplay. ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ has been corporately mandated to open on May 7, 2021, so Marvel needs to find a replacement for Derrickson pretty quickly!
What do you think? Were you a fan of the first ‘Doctor Strange’? Are you upset that Derrickson won’t return to helm the sequel?
