When Scott Derrickson, the director of the originalDoctor Strangemovie, stepped down from helming the sequel –Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness– due to creative differences, Marvel Studios was left in the unenviable position of filling the director’s chair on a fast-tracked, highly anticipated superhero tentpole with a release date quickly approaching. Since the multiverse-bending sequel promises to blend standard superhero action with Lovecraftian cosmic horror, Marvel arguably ended up hiring the perfect replacement: Sam Raimi.
Raimi is renowned for directing both theEvil DeadandSpider-Mantrilogies. With the former, he revolutionized low-budget indie horror cinema. With the latter, he revolutionized big-budget comic book movies. IfMultiverse of Madnesspromises to be a combination of the two,Raimi is the best man for the job. WhenSolo: A Star Wars Storylost its original directors due to their idiosyncratic voice, Ron Howard was hired to turn it into a safe, bland, middle-of-the-road sci-fi actioner. WithMultiverse of Madness, Marvel’s head honcho Kevin Feige is taking the opposite approach.
RELATED:Marvel Is Setting A Precedent For Star Wars To Do A Horror Movie
Instead of tasking his new director with emulating Derrickson’s style, Feige is encouraging Raimi to follow his own creative compass and lean into his own distinctive cinematic voice. In a recent interview withEmpire, Feige said, “We want it to bea Sam Raimi movie. We would give notes like, ‘This action is cool – you’re competing withAvengersandSpider-Man, no problem – but don’t forget the Sam Raimi parts.’ You will see just how Sam Raimi it is, in ways that will make fans ofEvil Dead IIvery happy.” Released six years after the groundbreaking original,Evil Dead IIfamously took the grisly terror of the first film to the nth degree with a game-changing dark sense of humor. TheEvil Deadsequel essentially just remakes the cabin-in-the-woods storyline of the 1981 original as a pitch-black comedy.
Evil Dead II Is Peak Raimi
After inspiring a generation of indie horror filmmakers withThe Evil Dead, Raimi went on to helm such widely acclaimed hits asDarkmanandthe first twoSpider-Manmovies. ButEvil Dead IIis arguably his masterpiece – or, at least, the pinnacle of his unique style. No concept is too bizarre in the world ofEvil Dead II. At one point, Bruce Campbell replaces his arm with a chainsaw.
If Feige is giving Raimi the freedom to explore ideas that go that far, thenMultiverse of Madnesswill be a Marvel movie like no other. Whether this movie turns out to be the MCU’s best or not, it’ll almost certainly be the MCU’s weirdest entry to date. The trailers have already teasedEvil Dead II-level imagination in its portrayal of a fractured spacetime continuum – zombified Avengers, evil versions of Strange, a secret multiversal societyspearheaded by Patrick Stewart’s Professor X– and hopefully, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Some Marvel fans are worried about “how Sam Raimi”Multiverse of Madnesswill really be, since it’s a Disney-mounted summer blockbuster designed to appeal to as many international ticket-buyers as possible, but theEvil Deadcomparison is a promising sign. The best parts of Raimi’s signature style – gallows humor, gruesome special effects, demonic P.O.V. shots, etc. – aren’t exactly family-friendly. But Feige has always taken risks with the idiosyncrasies of his chosen filmmakers, and PG-13 horror gems likeThe Others,A Quiet Place, and evenRaimi’s ownDrag Me to Hellhave proven that there’s still room for genuine terror within the boundaries of a stricter MPAA rating.
Ultimately, Raimi’s filmmaking style is defined by its unashamed weirdness.Evil Dead IIis undoubtedly the peak of this weirdness, so it’s exciting that it’s the Raimi movie that Feige chose to namedrop in relation toMultiverse of Madness. If it really leans into the Lovecraftian spookshow, this film’s multiversal horror antics couldgive Raimi more of a chance to explore his weirder sensibilitiesthan hisSpider-Manmovies did.
How Much Multiverse Is Too Much Multiverse?
There have been a ton of rumors flying around about which characters could appear via the multiversal madness of theDoctor Strangesequel – from Deadpool to Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine toone of the previous Spider-Mento a Tony Stark variant played by casting runner-up Tom Cruise – but this speculation misses what’s really fun about this concept. Cameos are a very narrow pinhole through which to enjoy the premise of Doctor Strange drifting through a nightmare-scape of parallel universes.
Strange is entering a world (or, rather, an endless array of alternate worlds) where there are no clearly defined rules and literally anything could happen. It’ll be fun to have a few multiversal cameos along the way, like Stewart’s confirmed appearance, but the movie should focus more onEvil Dead-style surrealnessthan franchise synergy. Based on Feige’s comments toEmpire, it seems he’s well aware of this and he and Raimi are committing to makingMultiverse of Madnessas zany and mind-boggling as it can possibly be.
