Sam Raimi expressed hesitance when adding Zombie Strange in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Sam Raimi stepped into the director’s chair for Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Notable for his Spider-Man trilogy of films with Tobey Maguire, he also directed the Evil Dead trilogy and Drag Me To Hell. With his horror sensibilities, some were expecting to see him implement his horror style into the film.
The film showcased some surprising horror elements, including Zombie Strange. Michael Waldron, the screenwriter for the film, revealed in an interview with Polygon that Sam Raimi was initially hesitant to add the zombified Stephen Strange in the film for an interesting reason:
“I was totally writing with Sam in mind the entire time. I had watched all his movies. I tried to really get an ear for the dialogue in his movies because I wanted it to feel like a Sam Raimi film. But Sam, to his credit, had no interest in coming in and just playing the hits. Sam did not come in and say, I need you to give me a zombie. And in fact, when I presented the idea of Dead Strange to him, there was a real hesitancy on his part, because he didn’t want it to seem like he was just saying ‘I want to do my Sam Raimi thing.'”
Sam Raimi’s style was the best thing about Doctor Strange 2.
As it turns out, the implementation of Sam Raimi’s directorial style was the best thing that the Doctor Strange sequel had going for it. With a script that often felt like it needed a few more drafts to be a better story, the use of horror, particularly in the film’s third act climax with Zombie Strange was part of what made the film really stand out amongst the rest of the MCU, which has often felt less director-driven in comparison.
Here is the synopsis for Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness:
The MCU unlocks the Multiverse and pushes its boundaries further than ever before. Journey into the unknown with Doctor Strange, who, with the help of mystical allies both old and new, traverses the mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities of the Multiverse to confront a mysterious new adversary.
Directed by Sam Raimi from a script written by Michael Waldron, the film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, with Michael Stuhlbarg, Rachel McAdams, and Patrick Stewart.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is in theaters now. Stay tuned for all the latest news surrounding the future of Sam Raimi, and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!
Source: Polygon
