A new Doctor Strange 3 rumor suggests that Marvel could be looking for a new director to lead the franchise.
Benedict Cumberbatch has played Dr. Stephen Strange in the MCU since 2016. He’s led two Doctor Strange movies — 2016’s Doctor Strange, which was directed by Scott Derrickson, and 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, directed by Sam Raimi — while he’s also starred in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War, 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, and the What If…? series.
What is the latest Doctor Strange 3 rumor?
While there’s been no announcement from Marvel Studios indicating that Doctor Strange 3 is happening, there’s been much talk that it will, at some point. Cumberbatch has previously expressed interest in doing another movie.
According to scooper MyTimeToShineHello, Raimi “could” return to direct Doctor Strange 3; however, Marvel is reportedly “currently looking at other options,” meaning the Spider-Man and Evil Dead director may not be coming back to the MCU anytime soon.
It’s important to stress that this is just a rumor at this time, as, again, Doctor Strange 3 has not yet been officially announced. Cumberbatch’s casting in Avengers: Doomsday hasn’t been officially confirmed at this time, either.
There has, however, been a lot of speculation regarding Cumberbatch’s MCU. Following Avengers: Doomsday, there’s an untitled Marvel movie scheduled to release in July 2027, meaning it will arrive before Avengers: Secret Wars. Some think this could be Black Panther 3, while others are convinced it will be Doctor Strange 3. This would make some amount of sense if Secret Wars accurately adapts Doctor Strange’s role in the Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribić Marvel Comics series.
Raimi’s schedule is likely to be full for a while, though, as he’s got a new movie coming out next year titled Send Help. It was also recently announced that Raimi is developing and producing a remake of 1978’s Magic for Lionsgate.
