WandaVision star Elizabeth Olsen has said that Doctor Strange 2 is the scariest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Olsen let the news slip during a Q&A for the New York Film Academy, where she was pressed to provide updates on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
“It’s a very scary movie. It’s like old Sam Raimi. They’re trying to create the scariest Marvel movie,” she said. Unfortunately, she didn’t provide any other details about the Sorcerer Supreme’s upcoming sequel (those pesky Marvel spoiler snipers must have been about). Interestingly there’s been a bit of back and forth at Marvel Studios about whether the film is a horror movie.
Scott Derrickson, who was initially lined up to direct The Multiverse of Madness, originally told the audience at San Diego Comic-Con that the movie was Marvel’s “first scary movie”. This seemed to surprise Kevin Feige, who went on to clarify that while the film will be scary, it won’t be an outright horror. Since then, Derrickson left the project, and Marvel Studios brought on horror auteur to helm Doctor Strange’s next outing.
The choice of Raimi as director, who’s perhaps best known for the Evil Dead trilogy, would suggest that the movie is going to be scary, but it’s important to remember that Raimi’s no stranger to superheroes. He made Darkman with Liam Neeson, an original superhero film, and he gave us Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2, two of the best superhero movies ever.
Michael Waldron, head writer on the recent Loki series, was also brought on to refine the script, and he claimed Raimi is making the film scarier. “Covid-19 just gave me and Sam more time to make it our own thing,” Waldron told the Friends from Work podcast. “It’s cool, I’m glad that there was the chance to maybe push in a slightly scarier direction. Just because Sam does that so well.”
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will see the return of the Bleeker magician Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who, according to the official synopsis, will unleash an unspeakable evil as he faces a friend-turned-enemy. Wanda’ Scarlet Witch’ Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) has been confirmed to star alongside Cumberbatch, and the film will serve as a sequel to the events of WandaVision.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will open in theatres on March 25, 2022.