While Benedict Cumberbatch will be donning the cape once again for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, some players from the original film will not be returning for the follow-up — namely director Scott Derrickson. In January 2020, the filmmaker announced that he had departed the Marvel sequel due to "creative differences."
Now, Cumberbatch has offered his own thoughts on marching forward without Derrickson in a profile in The Hollywood Reporter. The actor also recounted his experience collaborating with Sam Raimi, who took over as director on the Marvel sequel.
“I was sad to hear about it, but that was not my decision,” Cumberbatch says. “I completely respected the studio’s decision, and it was done very amicably. The grown-ups called and just talked me through it. And that was that.”
Cumberbatch dug into Raimi's approach on the project, saying that the Spider-Man trilogy director encouraged him to improvise while filming. While the freedom intimidated the actor at first, Cumberbatch explained that he had gained experience improvising banter while filming his Avengers: Infinity War scenes with Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Holland.
"I remember on the [Infinity War] set when I called [Robert Downey Jr.] a douchebag, there was this sort of ripple effect. ‘Oh my God. Did you just call Iron Man a douchebag?’" Cumberbatch said. "They kept it, good for them. And then, it got the same kind of response at the cinema."
"I got bored of being compared to Liberace or whatever other retorts the guy with the same camp goatee had opposite me, so I tried to knock him down," he continued. "It’s great fun to play with that stuff. You find your feet. The more times you do it, the more familiar it becomes.”
Cumberbatch also explained how a Doctor Strange sequel left more room for improvisation, as the production had fewer worries about establishing its characters and world.
“With the first film, you’re always locked into a script, because it’s the origin story,” he said. “But there was a lot more freedom this time around… Marvel has this amazing ability to come into production: ‘We really just have to start shooting now. It doesn’t matter that the third act is not quite where you want it to be.’ You really do things on a wing and a prayer sometimes.”
Derrickson praised the selection of Raimi when Marvel announced the director would be taking over the Doctor Strange sequel, calling Raimi "a true living legend."
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set to hit theaters on March 24, 2022, but Marvel viewers will be reacquainted with Cumberbatch's Sorcerer Supreme a bit sooner. The character will appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home this December. For more about the Doctor Strange sequel, catch up on the rumors that the sea monster Gargantos will play a role in the film.
J. Kim Murphy is a freelance entertainment writer.