Director Sam Raimi opens up about working with Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige again for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Benedict Cumberbatch spearheads the upcoming project, which will take the MCU's prime May release date. Not much is known about the film's plot specifics, but its narrative will be directly connected to the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Fans can also expect a darker, scarier MCU movie, as it leans into Raimi's signature filmmaking style.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness marks Raimi's directorial return following several years of hiatus. His last movie was 2013's Oz The Great And Powerful, but when the MCU gig came up, he was more than excited to tackle it. The Marvel Studios sequel was actually supposed to be helmed by original Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson, but after he left the project, Feige and his team started to search for a replacement. They thought Raimi would be great, with Feige having worked with him before on Sony's Tobey Maguire-led Spider-Man trilogy in the 2000s. Luckily, things worked out and Raimi signed on.

Related: Doctor Strange 2 Already Has A Better Multiverse Than No Way Home

Speaking with Empire Magazine as part of the outlet's coverage of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, both Feige and Raimi talk about reuniting for the sequel. Feige was thrilled to reconnect with the director during their initial meeting. Meanwhile, Raimi was also happy to work again with an "old friend." Read their full comments below:

Kevin Feige: 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?’ 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.

Sam Raimi: I have missed directing. 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.

Doctor Strange and Wong standing next to each other in Doctor Strange 2.

Aside from Raimi, Feige is also reuniting with Patrick Stewart on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The actor has essentially confirmed that he's back as Professor X in the sequel, although the specifics of his appearance are still uncertain. As with Raimi, Feige worked with Stewart long before Marvel Studios was instituted; the MCU architect was a producer in Fox's X-Men films. In fact, he was the one who pushed for the comic-accurate hairstyle for Hugh Jackman's Wolverine. Meanwhile, Feige has also reteamed with Maguire, Alfred Molina, and Willem Dafoe, who all reprised their respective Marvel roles through Spider-Man: No Way Home.

The fact that both have nothing but great things to say about each other invites speculation on whether Raimi will helm more MCU projects in the future. As seen in the Infinity Saga, Marvel Studios tends to bring back a lot of their filmmakers, with most of them directing multiple films within a series. Of course, this will all depend on how Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness turns out, but based on what's known about it thus far, there's reason for optimism.

More: No Way Home Deleted Scene Sets Up Maguire & Garfield’s MCU Return

Source: Empire Magazine

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