It’s been two years since Marvel’s Doctor Strange was released, and Disney has finally gotten around to green-lighting a sequel. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Scott Derrickson, who directed the first movie, will return to helm the sequel. Production is scheduled to begin in 2020, meaning the movie won’t reach audiences until May of 2021 — a hefty five years after the first film. After Avengers: End Game arrives in 2019, Marvel will be entering its more mysterious Phase Four, which we don’t have many details on as of yet. But that doesn’t mean the new Strange will be rebooting its cast. Benedict Cumberbatch will return as Stephen Strange, while Benedict Wong will also be back as Wong. Rachel McAdams, who played Christine Palmer, is reportedly in talks but not yet confirmed for the sequel.
Kevin Feige, the head of Marvel Studios, told Vulture earlier this year that the studio was keeping details about its Phase Four plans quiet until the release of Endgame, hence the long gap between Doctor updates. “I feel like we’re still trying to fulfill the promise of that,†said Feige, referring to the studio’s massive Phase Three arc. “That’s what Infinity War is, that’s what Captain Marvel is and Ant-Man and the Wasp, and that’s what Avengers 4 will be. That’s what we have to do first, before we start saying, ‘And wait until you see this next thing!’ I don’t want to talk about what I’m having for dinner when I’m about to have lunch.†With the final Avengers getting a trailer and everything, it seems Marvel is ready to pull back the cloak a bit on its future plans.