Benedict Cumberbatch 'sad' when Scott Derrickson left Doctor Strange 2

Benedict Cumberbatch has admitted he felt “sad” when he heard Scott Derrickson had left ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’.

The 45-year-old actor – who is set to premise his role as the titular superhero Stephen Strange in the upcoming sequel – has weighed in on the two sides parting ways with Marvel Studios appointing Sam Raimi as his replacement.

He told The Hollywood Reporter: “I was sad to hear about it, but that was not my decision.

“I completely respected the studio’s decision, and it was done very amicably.

“The grown-ups called and just talked me through it. And that was that.”

‘Spider-Man’ filmmaker Sam Raimi – who directed three movies starring Tobey Maguire as the web-slinger – is coming on board with certain “trains”, and Cumberbatch is excited to see what he brings to the movie.

He added: “He was an assured pair of hands, who knew that world. He’s got certain Raimi traits.

“The smashed-zoom close-up. The mixture of just on the level of horror and just on the level of camp. There’s fun in there, but there should be some real thrills as well.”

Meanwhile, the actor also delved into how Cumberbatch is impacting his own performances and how the process as a whole is giving him “a lot more freedom”.

He explained: “With the first film, you’re always locked into a script, because it’s the origin story. But there was a lot more freedom this time around.

“I guess, because we were […] not literally making it up as we go along, but sometimes it feels like that.

“Marvel has this amazing ability to come into production: ‘We really just have to start shooting now. It doesn’t matter that the third act is not quite where you want it to be.’ You really do things on a wing and a prayer sometimes.”