Director Scott Derrickson Says There’s ‘No Bad Blood’ With Marvel After Leaving ‘Doctor Strange’ Sequel
Derrickson cites creative differences and not wanting to make a “monstrosity’ of a sequel.
(Left) 'The Black Phone' director Scott Derrickson. (Right) Benedict Cumberbatch in 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' from Marvel Studios.
It’s more than a year since Marvel’s ‘Doctor Strange’ sequel ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ landed in theaters with Sam Raimi as its director.
Scott Derrickson, who directed the first ‘Strange’ outing, had been on track to make the second (joining the likes of Jon Favreau, Peyton Reed and the Russobrothers in sticking around for more than one movie about a Marvel character) when he suddenly left the project, citing creative differences.
He went on to make successful horror movie ‘The Black Phone’ instead and has stuck with terror his latest gig, an entry in anthology creep-fest ‘V/H/S/85’. But according to the filmmaker, he harbors no ill will towards anyone at Marvel, and thinks he made the right choice to leave the movie.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Scott Derrickson talks about leaving ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’
(L-R): Rachel McAdams as Dr. Christine Palmer, Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange, and Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez in Marvel Studios' 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.' Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.
In a new interview to promote his latest work, Derrickson insists that his reasoning for leaving the ‘Strange’ sequel remains solid.
Here’s what he told The Playlist’s ‘The Discourse’ podcast:
“All I can say is that what we said publicly is exactly the truth. We had real creative differences. You know, the movie I wanted to make and how I wanted to make it was different than –– it was just increasingly obvious that we were pulling against each other. And that’s how you make a really bad movie, I think. When the producer or the studio and the filmmaker are making different movies, you end up with a monstrosity and, you know, that’s why I had to bounce.”
Though Sam Raimi’s version of the ‘Strange’ follow-up certainly had its horror-tinged moments, the movie that Derrickson had been developing was, in his words, an “extreme departure” from the first and leaned much more heavily into the scares. But it was not to be.
Is Derrickson still friendly with Marvel?
(L to R) Charlize Theron and Benedict Cumberbatch in 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.'
Despite the differences and his ultimate departure, Derrickson has not burned any bridges with Marvel HQ.
As he outlines:
“I went to the premiere. I’m still friends with Kevin [Feige] and everything with me and Marvel is really cool. They invited me to the premiere, and I went. And I’m friends with Sam [Raimi]. I love Sam, so there’s no bad blood over that.”
In the end, it worked out for everyone. While ‘Multiverse of Madness’ didn’t enjoy quite the same level of critical appreciation as the first movie, it still made almost a billion dollars worldwide. Derrickson, meanwhile, saw ‘The Black Phone’ (adapted from a Joe Hill story and starring Ethan Hawke as a child-snatching baddie) earn more than $180 million worldwide on an $18 million budget.
‘V/H/S/85’, meanwhile, will land on horror-focused streaming service Shudder this Friday.
'The Black Phone' director Scott Derrickson.
Other Movies Similar to ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness:’
- ‘Doctor Strange' (2016)
- ‘Thor: Ragnarok' (2017)
- 'Avengers: Infinity War' (2018)
- ‘Avengers: Endgame' (2019)
Buy 'Doctor Strange' Movies On Amazon
To watch our exclusive interviews with Scott Derrickson and the cast of 'The Black Phone,' please click on the video player below.
