We’ve confirmed that it’s true: Marvel is looking to close a deal with Sam Raimi to direct Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness following Scott Derrickson’s departure from the project. Derrickson will remain an executive producer on the sequel.

The sequel was announced at San Diego Comic-Con last summer, with Derrickson then saying the follow-up will “be the first scary MCU film.” Well, with Evil Dead filmmaker Raimi potentially aboard, he’s your guy. The pic is scheduled for release on May 7, 2021.

With a possible WGA strike on the horizon, it’s in all major studios’ best interests to get their 2021 theatrical schedule filled, especially a big IP one like this for Disney. Production start is expected around May.

In the wake of the millennium’s superhero movie craze, Raimi gets his due for starting that fire with Sony’s Spider-Man in 2002, another Marvel property. Raimi first three Spider-Man movies delivered a $2.5 billion worldwide gross.

At Comic-Con, it was also announced that Benedict Cumberbatch was coming back to star as Doctor Strange, with Elizabeth Olsen joining the film as Scarlett Witch. The events of WandaVision on Disney+ will feed into The Multiverse of Madness. Benedict Wong and Chiwetel Ejiofor are on tap to return as Wong and villain Karl Mordo, respectively.

The first Doctor Strange grossed $232.6M domestic, $677.7M worldwide.

Variety had the news first on Raimi today.