The filmmaker left the divisive sequel due to creative differences.
Filmmaker Scott Derrickson helmed the first Doctor Strange back in 2016. The noted horror filmmaker, who was known for his film Sinister handled the first live-action depiction of the Sorcerer Supreme in the MCU. The film received positive responses around the world and was a commercial success, earning $677 million at the global box office.
While Derrickson did a great job with the film, he left the sequel after working on it for a while due to creative differences. Recently, a fan posted a nice detail about the first film which proved why the MCU was great back in the day and why Kevin Feige seemed to have forgotten the kind of creators that were involved in its making.
Scott Derrickson’s Attention To Detail In Doctor Strange Makes It Legendary
Scott Derrickson was known for helming multiple horror films before he was chosen to be the director of Doctor Strange. The filmmaker had helmed films such as The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Sinister. He reportedly lobbied to direct Doctor Strange as he was a huge fan of the comic due to it dealing with mystical and magical elements (via Jo Blo).
Derrickson was hired as the director in 2014 and reportedly included the iconic scene where Strange saves himself through the astral plane while his body is in the hospital in his pitch. While a live-action adaptation of the character had been in the making since the ‘80s, the Sorcerer Supreme finally made his cinematic debut with Benedict Cumberbatch playing him.
Recently, a fan posted a detail from the original that sees a really nice message being subtly hinted at in the training sequences. During Stephen Strange’s training at the Kamar-Taj, he finds himself insecure about his disability and his hands shaking while performing the spells. To this, the Ancient One shows a one-handed sorcerer mastering the craft.
Derrickson himself agreed that the main intention behind the scene was to show that Strange had to move on from his insecurities to fulfill his destiny.
Scott Derrickson Left Doctor Strange 2 Due To Creative Differences
The attention to detail and such subtle message pushing from Scott Derrickson has made fans wish for the filmmaker to return to the franchise or see what he had initially planned for Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. The filmmaker had previously mentioned that he wanted the sequel to be scarier and be a true horror film in the MCU.
However, by January 2020, a few months before filming was set to begin, Derrickson parted ways with Marvel. While Kevin Fiege found his replacement in Sam Raimi, the sequel missed Derrickson’s impeccable touch. Derrickson mentioned that they had parted ways due to creative differences in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Co-writer Robert Cargill mentioned to CinemaBlend that both he and Kevin Feige were not in agreement with the kind of movie they wanted to make and hence Derrickson chose to exit and make The Black Phone instead. He said,
It came down to Scott, and Scott’s like, ‘Well, I can make this movie that I’m compromising what I wanted to do on, or I could make The Black Phone,’ and he goes, ‘You know, I want to make a movie with Cargill. I’m gonna go make The Black Phone.’ It was, as he said publically, it was a hard choice to leave Strange behind, but it made it easier that he had a movie that he was looking forward to. And then the experience was just so great that we’re just so proud and happy with what we made.
Derrikson returned to his horror routes with the Ethan Hawke starrer The Black Phone, which was a runaway hit. Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness seemed to have received a lukewarm response, though it was a bigger commercial success.
Doctor Strange is streaming on Disney Plus.
