It was a big year for Marvel in 2021, as the studio looks to carry over the momentum into 2022, and for Doctor Strange star Benedict Cumberbatch, it's hard not to get excited over what Marvel has achieved. Spider-Man: No Way Home became one of the MCU's biggest and more successful films to date, as it currently has racked up $1.542B at the global box office and was met with rave reviews from critics and fans. And now with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness approaching in the coming months, the hype continues to grow as to what the MCU will do next.
In a recent interview with Deadline, Cumberbatch spoke about his award contender film, The Power of the Dog, while also reacting to the fan response surrounding the Doctor Strange 2 trailer and the overall success in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. "I'm thrilled at the reaction to the teaser trailer at the end of Spider-Man; I'm thrilled at the reaction that film's been having," Cumberbatch shared. "I mean, it's been a bit of a moment, to be honest."
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, like its title suggests, will focus on the multiverse, as Doctor Strange seeks Wanda Maximoff's help in stopping what has been unleashed from a forbidden spell that has opened up many doors into the multiverse while also unleashing new threats such as an alternate version of Strange. Elizabeth Olsen, who will return to play Wanda Maximoff in the film following her appearance in Disney Plus' WandaVision series, did confirm that Doctor Strange 2 heads down a much darker route, almost resembling a horror film at times. While Olsen's comments are not too surprising, considering Sam Raimi (The Tobey Maguire Spider-Man trilogy) is directing the film, it'll be interesting to see how dark of a film the MCU is willing to push for.
While Cumberbatch seems thrilled to be a part of Marvel's success, he is still unsure how much longer he takes on the hero role, and that the real catch to continue playing Strange is that whatever comes next has to remain interesting and challenging. "As long as the character is interesting and challenging and doing fantastic things in the MCU, why not?," Cumberbatch told USA Today. So if Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and the rest of the team continue to develop engaging stories, there's a great chance that stars like Cumberbatch will continue their Marvel run.
The sequel also stars Benedict Wong as Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo, Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez, and Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer. Loki head writer Michael Waldron, who was praised for his work on the Marvel Studios series, was hired to rewrite the script along with newcomer Jade Bartlett.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set to release in theaters on May 6, 2022.
Source: Deadline