It’s a bit early for Marvel to start hyping up Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness just yet, but fans are already eagerly awaiting the Sorcerer Supreme’s sequel. Not only does it deliver the Master of the Mystic Arts’ first solo film since 2016, it will also dive into the multiverse more than ever before—and marks original Spider-Man trilogy director Sam Raimi’s return to the superhero genre after what will be 15 years.
So much of what the movie has in store for us is a tightly kept secret right now, but star Benedict Cumberbatch was able to offer a few teasing comments in a recent interview. Cumberbatch has been on the press circuit again to promote his new film, spy thriller The Courier, and during an appearance on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show, the British actor was asked about Doctor Strange 2.
Cumberbatch admitted that he couldn’t say much as he’s “very loyal to the sort of secret keeping game of that whole enterprise”—he wouldn’t even reveal when it’s coming out, despite this being officially confirmed. What he did do, however, was heap praise on Raimi and the rest of the cast as well as promise that DS2 will be “pretty bonkers” and “far out.”
“I will say, Sam Raimi is a master of this genre and yet his presence, his friendship, his directing, all of it, he was just really, really brilliant, and an amazing, amazing cast of returning regulars, and… that’s all I can say, cause that could get me into trouble,” said Cumberbatch. “It’s pretty bonkers, I will say the clue is in the title, it is the Multiverse of Madness, it’s pretty far out.”
Cumberbatch went on to express his gratitude to the film’s hard-working crew, who he described as being “unbelievably disciplined and committed” despite the difficulties of making a movie in the thick of the pandemic. He also thanked them for “their personal sacrifice,” noting “that’s where the real heroism was on that job.”
Stephen Strange will be joined in the follow-up by several familiar faces from 2016’s Doctor Strange, like Benedict Wong’s Wong, Rachel McAdams’ Christine Palmer, and Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Baron Mordo. Not to mention the additions of Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch and Xochitl Gomez, making her debut as America Chavez, a young heroine with the power to create star-shaped interdimensional portals. So clearly she will prove integral to the plot.
Before his own vehicle gets here, Benedict Cumberbatch will first turn up in this December’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness then opens in theaters on March 25th, 2022.