Popular novelist and screenwriter C. Robert Cargill jokes that he's leaving Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to instead work on Cats 2. Cargill is no stranger to Doctor Strange, having previously written the 2016 film starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Doctor Strange was a success for Marvel both critically and financially, receiving mostly positive reviews and quadrupling its budget at the box office.

Just earlier today it was announced that Scott Derrickson, the director of Doctor Strange 2, was leaving the project due to creative differences with Marvel. Since 2016, there's been a lot of conjecture as to what the Doctor Strange sequel would be. Back in 2018, Cargill said that the next film in the series would have Stephen Strange battle Nightmare, previously known as Baron Mordo and played by Chiwetel Ejiofor. A year later, Marvel confirmed that Doctor Strange 2 was in development with the title Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. From the outset it was clear that Scott Derrickson had a specific vision for the film, evident by him saying that he was "going to make the first scary MCU film."

Related: Kevin Feige Says The Multiverse is Key to the MCU's Future

Judging by today's news, it seems unlikely that Derrickson will get the chance to direct the first scary MCU film, nor will Cargill have the chance to write it. Instead, Cargill suggests he and Derrickson should work on a sequel to the much-maligned Cats movie, via Twitter. Although Cats isn't meant to be scary, millions of people who viewed the film would argue it is. The cinematic adaptation of the peculiar Broadway musical has hit screens like a hypnotic curse, haunting the nightmares of all that dare step in front of its path. Only the bravest souls have journeyed to the theaters too, evident by Cats' poor performance at the box office.

Cargill seems to be poking obvious fun at the fact he and Derrickson are no longer working on Doctor Strange, but it is a bit disappointing the world won't get to see their unique plans for the sequel. It's hard to argue against Marvel's decision making though, as the company has found its groove at the box office in recent years, having produced some of its most critically acclaimed and financially lucrative films ever. In fact, many would argue that the most recent stretch of Marvel movies, referred to as Phase 3 of the MCU, is the best so far.

Doctor Strange was definitely a film which cleansed the tried and true palette of Marvel yore. Director Scott Derrickson and writer C. Robert Cargill weren't afraid to think out of the box with the film by adding visually spectacular scenes and darker themes, but, as Cargill suggests, even if the pair's time working on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is over, at least they'll always have Cats 2.

More: Doctor Strange 2 Will Feature Character Marvel's Always Wanted To Use

Source: Twitter