The Sorcerer Supreme's solo movie sequel is getting some new blood behind the scenes. Marvel Studios has brought in up-and-coming writer Jade Bartlett to pen the screenplay for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. This will serve as a sequel to 2016's Doctor Strange and will see Benedict Cumberbatch return as the titular character, following the events of Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

According to a new report, Jade Bartlett will write the sequel, which is to be directed by Scott Derrickson, who returns after helming the first entry in the franchise. Bartlett doesn't have much in the way of produced work, but she's landed some big gigs and has been on Hollywood's radar for several years. Her script Miller's Girl was on the Black List, a list of the best unproduced screenplays in Hollywood, and was later optioned by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg via their Point Grey production company, with Bartlett set to direct. She also wrote the horror movie The Turning and adapted the novel Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know for Universal Pictures.

That was enough to put her on Marvel Studios' radar, but her hiring does raise some questions. We know C. Robert Cargill, who penned the first movie as well as Scott Derrickson's horror movie Sinister, penned a draft of the screenplay for the sequel. Is Cargill's draft just getting a rewrite? Will it be a completely new screenplay? Certain elements have to stay the same, as we know Nightmare will be the villain and that Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlett Witch is coming along for the ride. It's important to note that Cargill and Derrickson are close collaborators, so it's hard to imagine Cargill not being involved in some capacity.

In any event, this is progress on a sequel that has been a long time coming. By the time Doctor Strange 2 hits theaters, it will have been nearly five years between solo installments. Granted, Stephen Strange has popped up several times in the MCU since in Thor: Ragnarok and the two most recent Avengers installments. But still, that's a long time between solo movies. Aside from Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong will also return as Wong and it's presumed Rachel McAdams will be back as Christine Palmer. It's also expected that Chiwetel Ejiofor will return as Mordo.

Plot details for the sequel are being kept under wraps currently, but Scott Derrickson hyped this as Marvel's first horror movie at San Diego Comic-Con over the summer. We also know the Disney+ series WandaVision will tie-in to the movie directly. Next up for the MCU is Black Widow, which arrives on May 1, 2020, followed by Eternals, which hits later that year on November 6. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness set to hit theaters on May 7, 2021. We'll be sure to keep you posted as further details on the project are made available. This news comes to us via Collider.