‘Doctor Strange 2’ to Wind Up With a No-Name Director?

For a while, all was looking up for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Scott Derrickson was set to direct the movie infused with horror elements, yet horror in the cerebral, suspenseful sense of the word, not the brutal and macabre connotation. Since Scott Derrickson is famous for his work within the horror genre — Sinister, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Deliver us From Evil — the project was shaping up to be a promising and highly-anticipated Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) installment. However, recent news has led fans astray. 

Scott Derrickson is out, and the MCU is on the hunt to replace the director whose work will significantly define the future direction of the Marvel landscape. Considering the movie will follow WandaVision, part of its responsibility will be convincing viewers to sign up for Disney+, so that they can pick up on the cross-conversation between the small and silver screen — a between-mediums dialogue destined to characterize the MCU moving forward. In other words, the director who jumps onto this project will be up for a challenge, as his contribution can significantly impact the ever-evolving space. 

So, who do fans have in mind to direct Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness? Who can seize the reigns from Derrickson and deliver the film Marvel needs in 2021? And, will any of directors that seem perfect actually be able to hop onto the project? 

Directors who could execute the vibe ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ is going for  

From Guillermo del Toro to Mike Flanagan, several A-list directors have come up in conversations across the internet when considering who should replace Scott Derrickson. Del Toro is best known for The Shape of Water, Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy, and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. 

If the MCU needs someone who can combine horror and action with some perfectly placed and quick-witted humor, del Toro is more than capable. Not to mention, his films aesthetically fit with what many expect from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. 

Mike Flanagan is known for Doctor Sleep, The Haunting of Hill House, and Oujia: Origin of Evil and he has continued to climb the Hollywood ranks as of late, especially following his success with the Netflix original Hill House, which has been acclaimed for its This Us Us meets horror feel. Other names that have come up in discussion forums include Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson. However, there’s one reason all these A-listers seem unlikely to snag the deal.

It is too short notice for an A-list director 

As one MCU fan pointed out in the discussion mentioned above, the film starts shooting quite soon, and the likelihood that these major directors will be able to clear their schedules in a matter of months seems implausible. The Reddit user commented:

Guys, the film shoots in 4 months. It’s not going to be any of these A-listers you’re suggesting. When Edgar Wright left Ant-Man, they replaced him with Peyton Reed. Remember that.

Reddit User 

When it comes down to it, the MCU will likely opt for a director with a little less industry clout who can follow their rules — a director who can take a very clear mission and execute, as opposed to a director who is going to join the party with a ton of unique ideas without enough time to analyze and consider them. Marvel will most likely hire a director with talent; however, we should expect that the chosen one will not yet be a household name with fan expectations akin to previous works.