At the head of “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”, the director Sam Raimi had not directed a film produced by the team of superheroes since “Spider-Man 3” in 2007. A franchise of which he found himself shut out as a mess, and that made him hesitate to shoot for the MCU.
Sam Raimi: glory and downfall of a genius
Revealed very young for directing the cult horror trilogy evil Dead (1981-1993), Sam Raimi has long been a fan of comic books of superheroes. This was notably seen in 1990 when he directed Darkman. Indeed, while he was unable to obtain the rights to Batman and of The shadow, he decides to create his own superhero by combining the two characters. The feature film is a surprise success, even leading to the launch of a franchise that will generate two sequels as well as other derivative products such as video games, figurines … and even comic books !
This success caught the eye of Sony (via its subsidiary Columbia Pictures) which, in the early 2000s, hired Sam Raimi to direct Spiderman. The rest, we know it: huge critical and commercial success, a second installment considered one of the best superhero movies of all time… In short, Sam Raimi is clearly one of the artists who put the superhero film genre back in the saddle with Stephen Norrighton (for Blade) and Bryan Singer (for X-Men).
However, the machine jams during the production of Spider-Man 3. Indeed, the successes of Spiderman and Spider-man 2 lose the head of Sony’s pundits who prevent Sam Raimi from having his hands free, unlike the two previous sections. The result: a successful international box office, but an artistic disaster descended by critics and fans of Le Tisseur. This failure gives rise to tensions between Sam Raimi and the studio, which leads to a cinematic reboot of the adventures of Spider-Man… without the director of the previous trilogy.
A still deep wound for the director
Today, time has passed since Marvel / Disney now sits at the top of superhero film production. Although Sony is no longer as influential as it was in the 2000s, it still remains around, still owning the franchise. Spiderman that it grows through Spider-Man films (produced with Marvel / Disney) and feature films Venom.
It is in this very particular context that Sam Raimi received a proposal to realize Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, replacing Scott Derrickson who was at the head of the first part. However, the filmmaker was not very hot to shoot in a movie owned by Marvel, as he recently said at the microphone of Collider :
I wasn’t sure if I could face it again, because it had been so horrible being the director of Spider-Man 3. The internet was on fire, people didn’t like this movie and they talked about it a lot. Therefore, it was difficult to come back.
In the end, Sam Raimi agreed to direct the second episode of Doctor Strange, eager to accomplish this demanding challenge. Likewise, its appreciation of the previous section weighed heavily in the balance :
I’ve always liked the character of Doctor Strange a lot. It wasn’t my favorite, but it was among my favorites. I loved the first movie, I think Scott Derrickson did a great and amazing job. So, I replied: “Ok”. They left the character in an interesting position to explore. Still, I never thought I’d do another superhero movie again. It happened, that’s all.
The return of Sam Raimi to Marvel is in any case very good news, especially as his Doctor Strange looks like a decisive episode for the adventures of the Avengers.
Raimi endorses the new Spider-Man
Further proof that water has flowed under the bridges between Sam Raimi and Sony? His reaction after the crazy first trailer of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Indeed, the director greatly appreciated the appearance of Doctor Octopus at the end of the trailer. A presence that brought back good memories to him, he who directed his interpreter Alfred Molina in Spider-man 2 in 2004. As he states in SYFYWIRE :
He is magnificent. He looks awesome, the animation is awesome (…) I guess they weren’t puppets, because when we made Doc Ock, we had puppets and animation for his tentacles. But I love the fact that they kept the costume. I think it’s gonna be a great movie.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be released in French theaters …
