Danny Elfman has confirmed he’s working on the score for the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
In a new interview with Inverse, Elfman revealed, “I am starting to do bits of pre-work for Doctor Strange 2 that Sam Raimi’s directing. Even though I don’t start it for some months, there’s bits of recorded music they need for the sets.”
While the fact that Elfman is signed onto the project is news, it shouldn’t actually be that surprising. He and Raimi are frequent collaborators, having teamed up for the pre-MCU Marvel films Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2. They also got together for 1990’s Darkman, 1998’s A Simple Plan, and Raimi’s most recent directorial effort, 2013’s Oz the Great and Powerful.
Elfman indeed has a long history of scoring comic book blockbusters. He worked on the entire Men in Black series, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Wanted, Dick Tracy, took over for Mychael Danna on Ang Lee’s 2003 Hulk movie, replaced Junkie XL on Justice League (and will be replaced in turn for Zack Snyder’s upcoming director’s cut), and perhaps most famously provided the soundtrack for Tim Burton’s vision of Gotham City in Batman and Batman Returns. Doctor Strange 2 won’t even be Elfman’s first MCU score, as he worked alongside Brian Tyler on Avengers: Age of Ultron.
In a twist befitting Marvel’s new multiversal storytelling, Elfman will take over the Doctor Strange reins from Michael Giacchino, who is busy working on the potentially crossover heavy Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel. That film is rumored to also feature Benedict Cumberbatch reprising his Strange role, as well as cast members from Raimi’s Spider-Man series, including Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus, Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson, and Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. What’s more, Giacchino is also currently scoring Matt Reeves’ forthcoming The Batman, meaning he and Elfman are in an exclusive club of having scored both DC and Marvel’s biggest franchises.
See? The real-life crossovers behind the scenes of superhero movies can be just as convoluted as those on screen. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is currently scheduled for a March 25th, 2022 release.
Elfman has spent the pandemic keeping himself busy on non-cinematic projects, as well. After sharing “Happy” back in October, he promised a new single on the 11th of every month in 2021. “Sorry” came in January, followed by “Love in the Time of COVID” earlier this month.