There are few things better than a perfect pairing of director and subject, and Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness has all the potential of a blissful marriage. The legendary Sam Raimi helped shape the comic-book blockbuster landscape we see today with his smash-hit trilogy of Spider-Man movies in the ’00s, having started out as the horror mastermind behind the Evil Dead trilogy. So with the sequel to Doctor Strange heading into spookier territory than your typical MCU movie, who better to take it on in the wake of Scott Derrickson’s departure than a man who knows both genres like the back of his hand?
For Marvel boss Kevin Feige, who worked with Raimi all those years ago on the Spider-Man films, it was important that the director’s signature style – kinetic camerawork, playful dark humour – shine through in the final film. “We want it to be a Sam Raimi movie,” Feige tells Empire. “We would give notes like, ‘This action is cool – you’re competing with Avengers and Spider-Man, no problem – but don’t forget the Sam Raimi parts.’ You will see just how Sam Raimi it is, in ways that will make fans of Evil Dead II very happy.” With the latest Multiverse Of Madness trailer teasing zombified versions of Strange and Scarlet Witch, it might be the unholy mash-up of superheroes and Deadites we never knew we wanted.
While Feige had a history with Raimi, he wasn’t sure the director – whose last film, Oz The Great And Powerful hit screens in 2013 – would be up for the gig. “Our executive producer, Eric Carroll, and Richie Palmer [producer] were calling around to see who was interested, and Sam’s agent said, ‘What about Sam Raimi?’” he recalls. “We thought, ‘That would be incredible, but there’s no chance of that.’ But he wanted to come in and meet. And in the first meeting, it was amazing to reconnect with him, and see his enthusiasm to jump back into this world.” After his long absence (with various projects that never quite ignited along the way), Raimi was raring to go. “I have missed directing,” he says. “It’s really the only thing I know how to do. I couldn’t be a stockbroker or a banker or a plumber, and I’m thrilled to be working with my old friend Kevin Feige.”
Read more about Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness in the upcoming issue of Empire – talking to Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, director Sam Raimi, writer Michael Waldron, producer Richie Palmer and Marvel boss Kevin Feige about a movie that breaks all the rules of reality. Find it on newsstands now, or order a copy online here. Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness comes to cinemas from 6 May.