The Marvel Cinematic Universe film “Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness” has been capturing a lot of attention since it was announced, with filmmaker and writer Scott Derrickson claiming the movie was going to be a truly terrifying horror film. But in the wake of his departure and rumors of other directors taking over, we have learned that not a single draft of the script had been completed by the original team.

Since Derrickson and co-writer C. Robert Cargill never had enough time to submit a finished script to Marvel Studios, whoever takes over the film now will have to start from scratch. Cargill confirmed the news on Twitter, by stating:

"Since it keeps coming up in news stories, it's worth noting that Scott and I never had the opportunity to write a draft of MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS, so whatever they are working with now isn't derivative of our work. I am of course very excited to see where they take Stephen next."

Both Derrickson and Cargill wrote the first “Doctor Strange” movie, alongside Jonathan Spaihts. Derrickson and Cargill are frequent collaborators who together have penned both “Sinister” movies along with “Doctor Strange.”

Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) will star in the sequel “Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness.” Marvel Studios

We haven’t had official word yet on who is taking over “Doctor Strang In the Multiverse of Madness,” but some eyes are on famous horror director who also directed the original “Spider-Man” trilogy, Sam Raimi. As for who is taking over the script, according to Comic Book Resources, Jade Bartlett and the Disney+ “Loki” series showrunner Michael Waldron were both rumored to start penning the screenplay.

Since whoever is taking over will be writing without the original team, it’s unknown just how far this project will veer away from Derrickson’s original vision of a cosmic horror.

Marvel Studios will release “Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness” on May 7, 2021.

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