Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Writer Says They Made it Scarier During the Pandemic

When Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness arrives, it will be the first horror-tinged film of the MCU and co-writer Michael Waldren says they had the chance to amp that up thanks to the pandemic. Waldren appeared on the Frieds From Work podcast to talk Loki, which he wrote, and during the discussion he revealed how the delays to the Doctor Strange sequel allowed himself and director Sam Raimi to tweak the movie in a more fright-directed manner.

“COVID just gave me and Sam [Raimi] more time to make it our own thing,” said Waldron (per JoBlo). “It’s cool, I’m glad that there was the chance to maybe push it in a slightly scarier direction, just because Sam does that so well. [Veering into the horror world is] obviously something that Scott Derrickson, the director of the first movie, does so well. Obviously, that influence, you feel it even in the first one. Even though it’s not a horror movie, there is this sort of spookiness throughout it. It’s part of what makes that movie work so well.”

The film will star Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular character of course alongside Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo, Benedict Wong as Wong, Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer, and Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez. It’s set for a March 25th, 2022 release date.