Directed by Sam Raimi, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated movies in recent years. The director is mostly known for creating the critically-acclaimed Spider-Man trilogy and fans will be hoping he brings the same kind of magic to the MCU.
Raimi's filmography is vast but he is can also be counted among the Hollywood directors that have had the most missed opportunities. Over the years, Raimi was contracted to direct a couple of movies only for decisions to be reversed. Some of the movies were shelved completely were some were taken over by new directors.
Thor
Way before the current Golden Age of Superhero movies, Sam Raimi had plans of making a movie about the Asgardian god, who is now considered one of the best characters in the MCU. Sadly, executives at 20th Century Studios didn't think it was a good idea, so the plan was abandoned.
Before the late 2000s, the only wildly popular Marvel heroes were Spider-Man and X-Men, hence the studio's skepticism about a Thor movie was understandable. Many fans will also agree that the 21st century is the best time to make movies about the Asgardian god, given the developments in CGI. A 1990 depiction of Asgard wouldn't have been as aesthetically pleasing as what fans are presented with today.
Spider-Man 4
Given the massive success of the first three movies, it was logical for a fourth one to be made. Raimi was on board but Sony Pictures canceled the project because there was no solid script yet.
A fourth Spider-Man movie starring Tobey Maguire would possibly have led to more sequels if it had been a success too. Andrew Garfield fans will, therefore, be glad that things didn't turn out this way. With such a development, there could have been MCU ramifications too, with fans being denied the chance of seeing three Spider-Men on-screen in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Evil Deed 4
Raimi's Evil Deed 4 was intended to be a sequel to Army Of Darkness as well as the fourth installment in the Evil Deed series. He later abandoned the project to work on Oz The Great And Powerful.
Having already dipped his fingers into the Evil Deed fingers before, there's hardly a doubt that the fourth installment would have been a great one. Why exactly Raimi abandoned the project is a mystery but more often than not, directors and actors get the desire to try something new so as to not be defined by one genre.
The Wee Free Men
In 2006, Raimi wanted to adapt Terry Pratchett's The Wee Free Men into a movie. But after reading the script, Pratchett wasn't impressed so he got the rights back.
Over the years, there have been a couple of authors who hated the screen adaptations of their work. Stephen King is a great example, as he heavily lambasted The Shining. Nonetheless, the movie not only became a massive commercial success but also one of the best horror movies of all time. Since Raimi is a proven filmmaker, Pratchett should probably have allowed him to go on with the project. After all, adaptations don't always have to be faithful to the original work.
World Of Warcraft
In 2009, Blizzard Entertainment announced that Raimi would direct a movie version of its popular video game. The director then chose not to do so. Several years later, a movie about the game was directed by Duncan Jones.
Movies about popular video games are rarely as well-received as the games themselves (with Need For Speed and Mortal Kombat being great examples) and Jones' Warcraft movie is no exception. Given that most of Raimi's movies get positive reviews, it's hard not to imagine if he would have done a better job.
Spider-Man Vs The Amazing Spider-Man
Before Spider-Man was integrated into the MCU, there was a planned crossover movie involving Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. Sadly, this never came to fruition.
It's yet another idea that could have blocked the current developments in the MCU. If Maguire and Garfield had already faced each other on screen, there wouldn't have been the need to do so again in the MCU. Luckily, that didn't happen and as a result, fans got to see one of the best superhero movies of all time. Raimi will also be glad that he still got to direct a multiverse movie.
Jack Ryan
Raimi was chosen to launch a Jack Ryan film series back in 2008 by Paramount Pictures. After a few years of uncertainty, Kenneth Branagh replaced Raimi, then Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit was released in 2014.
The Amazon Prime Jack Ryan series starring John Krasinski has depicted the Tom Clancy character in a much better way than the movies. Since most of the movie adaptations have been received either averagely or negatively, it could be argued that Sam Raimi dodged a bullet by signing out of the project.
The Hobbit
Raimi was the first name chosen to adapt The Hobbit into a movie. However, he was later replaced by Guillermo del Toro, who would go on to helm a trilogy.
Given how successful The Hobbit franchise has become, it's likely that the director regrets not being a part of it. And with a total box office revenue of 2.7 billion dollars, the movies could have made Raimi one of the highest-grossing directors of all time. Fans, however, will be glad that Raimi was replaced by an equally capable filmmaker.
Ruse
Close to 15 years ago, Siavash Farahani announced that he had written a script for a Ruse movie and that Sam Raimi would direct it. Interestingly, there have been no more announcements since 2009.
Raimi is a big fan of comic book characters, which explains why he was very interested in taking up the Ruse story. With the project set to include Street and Smith Publications characters such as The Shadow, Doc Savage, and The Avenger, it definitely would have been a joy to watch. With no solid explanation given so much, it could be presumed that the project is currently in development hell.
Love May Fail
Sam Raimi was announced as the filmmaker that was going to adapt Matthew Quick's Love May Fail into a movie. But after TriStar took over the project from Columbia Pictures, Raimi no longer became a part of it too.
Given the heavy feminist themes in the book and the highlighting of women's struggles, a female director could do a better job of bringing the story to the big screen, The plot in Quick's book has been labeled as complex by many critics too, which explains why finding a new director has proven to be difficult.