Sam Raimi wants to direct Avengers: Secret Wars, but Marvel hasn't asked him yet

Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Sam Raimi has finally addressed longstanding rumors that he could be in the running to direct Avengers: Secret Wars.

"I love 90% of the Marvel heroes that I’ve read in the great Stan Lee Marvel Universe comic books. I would love to work with Marvel again," The Evil Dead director told ScreenGeek at WonderCon when asked about the upcoming Avengers movie. "They haven’t reasonably asked me to. I hope they had a good experience with me. They haven’t asked me yet. I hope they do."

Raimi is no stranger to superhero movies – he previously directed Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which was released in 2022 and saw Benedict Cumberbatch reprise his role as the titular sorcerer as he went up against the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). And, of course, he directed all three Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies, released between 2002 and 2007. 

The future of the next two Avengers movies is a little uncertain since Marvel Studios parted ways with Jonathan Majors after the Kang actor was found guilty of reckless assault in the third degree and harassment in December 2023. The next movie in the series, currently scheduled for release in 2026, was meant to be titled Avengers: Kang Dynasty, but it's now untitled. Secret Wars is meant to be released a year later. 

Avengers: Secret Wars is set to hit the big screen on May 7, 2027. In the meantime, make sure you're up to date with the MCU with our guide to the story so far in Marvel Phase 5 and a look at what's to come in Marvel Phase 6

Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism. 

Read more
Robert Downey Jr announces his Doctor Doom casting at San Diego Comic-Con 2024
The Russo brothers said "f*** no" to directing Avengers: Secret Wars until "stumbling upon" the perfect idea: "That’s a story we need to tell"
Doctor Doom in Marvel Comics
The Russo brothers say Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars will draw inspiration from multiple comics – which explains how Doctor Doom might fit into the story
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers in Avengers: Endgame
The Russo brothers hope that Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are a "new beginning" for the MCU
Robert Downey Jr. during the Doctor Doom announcement at Marvel's SDCC 2024 panel
The story of the next two Avengers movies will be "radical" and "challenge" audiences according to directors the Russo Brothers
Avengers: Doomsday
Captain America star Anthony Mackie says he really wants to work with Chris Evans again amid Avengers: Doomsday rumors
Anthony Mackie in Captain America: Brave New World
Captain America: Brave New World star Anthony Mackie teases he's most excited for "the two worlds coming together and creating a super MCU" in the new Avengers movies
Latest in Superhero Movies
Peter Dinklage as Toxie in The Toxic Avenger
The first trailer for Peter Dinklage's long awaited Toxic Avenger reboot movie channels all the raunchy weirdness of the '80s original
Hot Fuzz
The 35 greatest 2000s action movies
Captain America: Brave New World
Giancarlo Esposito confirms he was originally set to play Marvel's King Cobra in Captain America: Brave New World: "It was a bit of a whirlwind"
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers in Avengers: Endgame
The Russo brothers hope that Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are a "new beginning" for the MCU
WandaVision
Marvel star Elizabeth Olsen says she's enjoyed playing Scarlet Witch for over 10 years and would "love to keep doing more"
The Toxic Avenger
Here's your first look at Peter Dinklage as the Toxic Avenger in ultra-violent, unrated, and long-delayed superhero movie remake
Latest in News
A screenshot from MindsEye showing a character leaning out of a car, shooting another car with a gun.
GTA veteran says the games industry needs to "get smarter" about what people actually want: "There are so many games, and I think we're starting to feel the effects"
Posing with a rifle in the Fallout 76 Ghoul update
Fallout 76's art director "had to fight really hard" so Bethesda would make the MMO's map bigger than Skyrim's
Minecraft movie image of Jack Black as steve
Don't expect Minecraft to go free-to-play anytime soon, as Mojang says "It doesn't really work with the way we built it"
Yasuke looking over the water to a shrine during sunset in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed Shadows has an entire island stuffed with adorable kittens you need to check out, and it's based on an actual Japanese cat paradise
phase zero key art showing zombies in a hallway
Former Witcher 3 and Dying Light devs reveal their Resident Evil homage, complete with PS1-style fixed cameras
Shadow of Mordor's Nemesis System was only created because WB Games wanted something to combat Batman Arkham Asylum's second-hand sales, exec says