Two decades ago, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man helped usher in the age of the modern comic book movie. In 2004, Spider-Man 2 garnered critical acclaim to go with its blockbuster success. However, Spider-Man 3 was left with mixed reviews, and Raimi showed little interest in returning for another superhero flick. Regardless, Raimi was lured back into the Marvel fold when he received an offer to direct Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
“I got a call from my agent saying that Kevin Feige and the Marvel team were looking for a director for the new Doctor Strange movie,” said Raimi in a new featurette from the movie. “And I was a big fan of the first one — it was really intelligent and interesting. So, when that offer came in, I thought, ‘This would be a really good challenge.’”
Within the video, Doctor Strange 2 co-stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen share their admiration for Raimi and their appreciation for what he has brought to superhero movies. Olsen seemed to be particularly impressed by the touches of horror that Raimi injected into the story.
Perhaps the most intriguing part of this featurette is the way that Raimi hints that the film’s visuals are perfectly suited for 3D viewing.
“Telling the story was such a gigantic endeavor,” said Raimi. “And there’s a lot of dimensionalized visuals that we use in telling that story. We shot it with an eye toward that. So, I think it’s going to be a very exciting experience to go to 3D.”
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will hit theaters on Friday, May 6.
