Sam Raimi Didn’t Know If He Could Return To Marvel For ‘Doctor Strange 2’ After Brutal ‘Spider-Man 3’ Backlash

When Sam Raimi stepped in to direct Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness after the original Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson left he project, it was a surprise to fans, given the mixed reception to Raimi’s Spider-Man 3. The 2007 film was widely panned, especially for its “Emo Peter Parker” scenes, and fans were not shy about letting Raimi know what they thought of the movie, which ended up being his final installment in the Spider-Man franchise. (Raimi was set to direct a fourth film, but as everyone knows, that didn’t happen, and the franchise was rebooted with Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker and Marc Webb as director.)

But despite all of that, Raimi ultimately ended up returning to the Marvel realm even though the Doctor Strange sequel will be under the Disney umbrella and not Sony, which Raimi previously dealt with on Spider-Man. As for what convinced him to come back The challenge. Via Collider:

“I didn’t know that I could face it again because it was so awful, having been the director of Spider-Man 3. The Internet was getting revved up and people disliked that movie and they sure let me know about it. So, it was difficult to take back on. But then, I found out that there was an opening on Doctor Strange 2. My agent called me and said, ‘They’re looking for a director at Marvel for this movie and your name came up. Would you be interested’ And I thought, ‘I wonder if I could still do it.’ They’re really demanding, those types of pictures. And I felt, ‘Well, that’s reason enough.'”

Raimi also relished the opportunity to work with Benedict Cumberbatch and bring more “improvisation” to the franchise, which the MCU actor delivered.

Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness opens March 25, 2022.