Filmmaker Sam Raimi is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. is reporting that Marvel Studios has “all but closed a deal” that will see Sam Raimi return as director of a third “Doctor Strange” solo film. Raimi, who directed the original “Spider-Man” trilogy at Sony Pictures, joined the MCU with 2022’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”.

Raimi replaced Scott Derrickson, who directed the first, and steered the sequel to a near $1 billion gross – making it one of the studio’s biggest post-‘Endgame’ success stories aside from “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home”. No other details are given about the third film or when it would go into production, but it could quite possibly serve as one of the films opening between or just after the next two “Avengers” entries along with a fourth “Spider-Man”. The second film had an end credits sequence introducing Clea played by Charlize Theron.

It’s not clear if she will return at this point..