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After helming the Spider-Man trilogy in the 2000s, Sam Raimi made his return to the superhero space in 2022 with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Divisive as it could be, it made quite a lot of money, and it led to folks wondering if the director would end up doing more Marvel work, like say, an Avengers movie or maybe even a fourth Spider-Man. Neither of those have ended up happening yet, but it sounds like he might be returning to hang with Stephen Strange once more.
According to Jeff Sneider, Raimi is “definitely” returning to direct what’s now simply titled Doctor Strange 3. With so much going on, you wouldn’t be wrong thinking Marvel would keep Strange on ice for another six years. But if this is true, it sounds like it’s because Raimi is all in on Marvel Studios; Sneider claims the director had a pretty good time on Multiverse, and a deal is “all but closed” at this point in time to get him back. What’s unclear is how this’ll fit into his schedule: Raimi signed on to direct and produce the remote island thriller Send Help for 20th Century Studios back in July. But at time of writing, that’s been the only real news for that movie, so he could possibly prioritize and focus on Strange, or knock out Send Help before diving back into the Marvel pool.
Either way, Multiverse of Madness ended with one hell of a setup for an eventual threequel. After Wanda’s sacrifice herself, Strange took a nice stroll through New York…where he collapsed in the middle of the street and screamed as a third eye manifested in the middle of his forehead. (Ow.) In the mid-credits scene, he’s suddenly approached by Clea (Charlize Theron), his future love interest (and Dormammu’s niece) who enlists him to help fix the multiversal incursion he accidentally started earlier in the film.
If Raimi is set to come back, it continues the trend of near-every MCU franchise having at least one returning director during their runs. With luck, Marvel will reveal more information about Doctor Strange 3—such as its official title and who’s coming back from the previous movie—in the near future.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
