Sam Raimi Explains Why Working With Marvel Is Different Than Sony
Exclusive: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness director Sam Raimi explains how working with Marvel Studios was different than Sony.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness director Sam Raimi explains how working with Marvel Studios is different than his time at Sony. The Doctor Strange sequel was originally going to be directed by Scott Derrickson, but after creative differences, he exited the project. Raimi confirmed a few months later that he had signed on to direct the sequel, marking his return to the superhero genre. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness comes nine years after his last directed movie, Oz The Great and Powerful in 2013, and 15 years after his previous superhero project.
Raimi previously worked with Sony for his Spider-Man trilogy that ran from 2002 to 2007, and the three films were incredibly profitable for Sony. The director had plans for Spider-Man 4 with Tobey Maguire, which would have featured cameos from Shocker, Rhino, Mysterio, Vulture, and Black Cat. Despite Spider-Man 4's script being completely finished, the poor reception of Spider-Man 3 caused Sony to cancel the film in 2010. Instead, Sony rebooted the franchise with Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man.
In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Raimi highlighted the differences he's experienced working with Marvel Studios over Sony. He mentioned that seeing Maguire in Spider-Man: No Way Home was more of a full-circle moment than directing Doctor Strange 2 but that he's enjoyed working with Marvel's team. Raimi explained that Kevin Feige and Marvel have a solid understanding of their characters while he had to teach other studios about superheroes and fight the marketing team on certain aspects of the film. Raimi didn't mention Sony by name, but it's clear which studio he is referring to. The director's full comment can be read below:
Well, seeing Spider-Man: No Way Home was more like a full-circle moment, to see those characters come back. But this is a new adventure. It's really exciting to work with this new team. And the head of the team is my old friend Kevin Feige, who really cares about the integrity of the characters, and therefore it's a real pleasure to work for him. Because oftentimes, making movies before with the superheroes, you'd have to teach a studio who a hero was and argue with your marketing department. "No, it's not funny. It's supposed to be serious." But Marvel owns these characters. They're out there to protect the integrity and be true to the characters, and the marketing is really clear. And the message is clear.
Movies like Spider-Man, Blade, and X-Men helped lay the foundation for superhero movies today. While the MCU has flourished in the last 14 years, Sony has had trouble with its universe of Marvel characters. Even though they have collaborated with Marvel Studios on Tom Holland's Spider-Man trilogy, their solo Spider-Man villain films have struggled to reach the same critical praise. Morbius specifically was panned, and the two Venom films got mixed reviews at best. Raimi's comments seem to echo the problems these movies have faced, so hopefully, Sony can do better with their upcoming spinoffs, including Kraven the Hunter, Madame Web, El Muerto, and Venom 3.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is one of the biggest movies Raimi has ever worked on, but it makes sense that Maguire returning in Spider-Man: No Way Home was more of a full-circle moment for him. Spider-Man was a huge part of Raimi's career for five years, and the trilogy continues to be one of his most popular projects to date. Studio interference is often cited as a reason why superhero movies fail to make an impact on audiences, yet that has never seemed to be a problem in the MCU. Working on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness seems like it was a refreshing change of pace for Raimi, so hopefully, that shines through when the movie hits theaters.