Kevin Feige is excited to be working with Sam Raimi again twenty years after his last Spider-Man film. With the flourishing MCU expanding its genres, especially with the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it was only a matter of time until the right project came around for Raimi. Fortunately for him, after all these years his work is still impressive enough to catch the attention of the head of Marvel Studios.

Raimi is best known for both his Evil Dead cult horror movies and the original Spider-Man trilogy for Sony in the early 2000s. His first superhero film was Darkman all the way back in 1990, making him a veteran of the genre. Since his last Marvel movie with Spider-Man 3, Raimi has kept busy with his own projects, including the supernatural horror favorite Drag Me to Hell and Oz the Great and Powerful (a prequel to The Wizard of Oz).

Related: Every Unmade Sam Raimi Horror Movie (& Why They Didn't Happen)

In a new interview with Rotten Tomatoes, the head of Marvel Studios talks about his excitement to be working with Raimi again after all these years. Marvel turned to Raimi to direct Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness after original director Scott Derrickson left, citing creative differences. But, as Feige says below, he had a good feeling the film would be in Raimi's wheelhouse due to the director's love of Doctor Strange and experience with the horror genre. Feige's full statement on the subject can be read below:

“I spoke earlier about how everything we do in Marvel Studios is from the point of view of the audience – how do we make the audience feel one way or how do we evoke an emotion out of an audience? I really feel like I learned that from watching Sam Raimi on the Spider-Man movies, where I was just very lucky to be there working for the former head of Marvel Studios, Avi Arad, and just watching: Watching Avi, watching Laura Ziskin, the producer of that, watching Amy Pascal, who ran the studio at the time, and particularly Sam Raimi put those movies together. Now being in a position that Sam is back in the Marvel Universe and working for us on Doctor Strange, which, aside from Spider-man – both Steve Ditko co-creations – was one of his favorite characters, is really quite remarkable and full-circle for me personally from my journey at Marvel.

But really, it’s just exciting to get to watch Sam work again and to see Sam Raimi put his Sam Raimi stamp on Doctor Strange in Multiverse on Madness. And for people who know what that stamp is, they can be very excited. And for people who don’t yet know what that stamp is, I can’t wait for them to see this movie, be blown away by it and go, ‘What else has he done?’ And delve into Sam Raimi’s filmography, which is one of the best of all time.”

Tobey Maguire in an alley in Spider-Man 2

Feige was just getting his start with Marvel movies working under Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin in the days of Raimi's Spider-Man films, learning a lot from the passionate director. It is interesting that Feige notes he learned how to make audiences feel certain emotions from Raimi, as it feels like that is a hallmark of the MCU as a whole. And one cannot help but wonder how much Feige learned about world-building and adapting comics for the screen from Raimi's trilogy, especially the fan and critical favorites Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2. 

Having Raimi directing a Marvel movie, especially Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessis exciting for all the fans, not just Feige. Raimi has proven time and again his mastery on the screen, and knows a thing or two about producing a studio blockbuster. Throw in his passion for the characters, especially Doctor Strange, and all the Phase 4 movies and TV shows that have been setting up this movie, and audiences might be in store for something really special when Raimi's film hits theaters in 2022.

More: Multiverse Of Madness Can Make Doctor Strange The Most Powerful Avenger

Source: Rotten Tomatoes

Key Release Dates