Scott Derrickson hints at why he left Doctor Strange 2
By Stephen Ippolito | December 23rd, 2020
A couple of nights ago, Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson posted on his Twitter account a brief explanation of why he left the next installment in the series Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
In January, Marvel Studios and Derrickson jointly announced that the director was leaving the sequel because of “creative differences.” Back then, both sides made it sound like the decision was mutual. However, judging by his tweets, it sounds like his departure was more his decision and that the studio was still willing to work with him.
As for what precisely the “creative differences” were over, that’s been a discussion online since his departure. Most people think it was related to how scary the film Derrickson wanted it to be.
Derrickson, who has a horror genre background, wanted the film to stretch the film’s PG-13 rating boundaries. Some people even think he wanted it to be the studio’s first rated R film. Marvel Studios and its President, Kevin Feige, on the other hand, weren’t willing to go that far. Instead of sticking around and making something that he felt “wasn’t his,” he departed the project.
Personally, in the end, I think it worked out for everyone. Marvel was quick to find a replacement in original Spider-Man trilogy director Sam Raimi. Derrickson got to keep his title as Executive Producer for the film and has since moved on to other projects. He also has given his approval of Raimi as his replacement multiple times. So he still does want the movie to succeed.
At the moment, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is currently shooting in England. It’s expected to hit theaters on March 25, 2022.