How 'Community' and 'Rick and Morty' Creator Dan Harmon Helped 'Doctor Strange'

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In August, The Hollywood Reporter shared that Doctor Strange had enlisted the help of Community and Rick and Morty showrunner Dan Harmon to help out after the highly-anticipated Marvel film had finished their initial production. When Yahoo Movies sent Khail Anonymous to chat with the film’s director, Scott Derrickson, he elaborated on what exactly Harmon’s role was.

“Here’s the thing about Dan, he’s literally a genius,” Derrickson started off. “I mean, I think the writing of Community and Rick and Morty is so elevated and sublime and weirdly, uniquely Dan Harmon. But what you wouldn’t guess is that he’s a tremendous story structure guy. He has tremendous breakdown skills when it comes to story and we brought him in to watch an early cut of the movie.”

Scott Derrickson, Doctor Strange director (Yahoo)
Scott Derrickson, Doctor Strange director (Yahoo)

From there, Harmon clearly impressed Derrickson and his team. “[He was] super incisive about breaking down, ‘Here’s what works,’ and ‘Here’s where you’ve got a problem,’” the director shared. “And he pointed some things out that were exactly what we needed to understand. He took a pass over certain scenes, not a lot, it wasn’t like he did any big rewrite. He was helpful in adding a little Harmon-esque humor here and there. But he was really helpful, helping us break down what we needed to do, editorially and regarding some extra reshoots to tighten some sections.”

Rick and Morty is a great show but not exactly for kids, as Derrickson found out the hard way.
Rick and Morty is a great show but not exactly for kids, as Derrickson found out the hard way. (Adult Swim/Everett Collection)

Derrickson is a big fan of Rick and Morty, but made the mistake of not watching the often-times obscene program alone at first. “I think the pilot is awesome,” he said when asked what his favorite episode was. “I go back to the pilot, too, because I watched with my kids, thinking, ‘Oh it’s an animated show. I’m going to watch this with my kids.’ And I remember shutting it off and going, ‘Guys, I’m going to have to finish this show on my own. Sorry!’”

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