It appears as though filmmaker Scott Derrickson has found his next project after exiting Marvel’s Doctor Strange sequel, and he might not be the only Marvel alum onboard. Per Variety, the Sinister and Exorcism of Emily Rose director has signed on to rewrite and direct the long-in-the-works Bermuda Triangle action-adventure film Bermuda, which takes place in the mysterious patch of the Caribbean that has served as the basis for spooky stories galore. The project has been in development at Skydance for quite some time, and in an ironic twist of fate had Sam Raimi eyeing the director’s chair at one point. Raimi, of course, is the legendary Evil Dead and Spider-Man director who recently entered talks to replace Derrickson on Doctor Strange 2.
But that’s not all! Variety also reports that Chris Evans is circling the lead role in the film, which would mark his first foray into blockbuster territory since hanging up the Captain America shield in Avengers: Endgame. Indeed, Evans pretty much steered clear of major Hollywood movies during his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, preferring instead to star in more cerebral films like Snowpiercer or dramas like Gifted and the upcoming Apple TV+ series Defending Jacob. And then, of course, his scene-stealing role in Rian Johnson’s hit murder mystery Knives Out.
Evans is next set to star in a film adaptation of the musical Little Shop of Horrors and it’s unclear how quickly Bermuda will come together. Derrickson is working on the film with his longtime writing partner C. Robert Cargill, with whom he wrote 2016’s Doctor Strange. That Marvel movie was Derrickson’s biggest project yet, and he spent the ensuing years quietly developing the follow-up while Marvel built towards Endgame. Earlier this year, however, with production on Doctor Strange 2 looking to begin this Spring and a strong connection to the Marvel TV series WandaVision embedded into the story, Derrickson stepped away over creative differences.
After directing the first Doctor Strange, Derrickson signed on to helm the pilot for the TV series Locke & Key but had to step away when it conflicted with his duties on the pilot for the Snowpiercer TV series adaptation. But Derrickson also stepped away from Snowpiercer after directing the original pilot in a show of solidarity with ousted showrunner Josh Friedman. He was asked to come back and helm reshoots under guidance of a new showrunner and declined.
All of this to say, if and when Bermuda happens, it’ll be our first piece of new material from Derrickson in quite some time. Spider-Man: Far from Home writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers wrote the most recent draft of Bermuda, but it’s unclear if Derrickson and Cargill will be working from that draft or will be starting from scratch. The two will serve as executive producers alongside producers David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Bonnie Curtis, and Julie Lynn.
