'Doctor Strange' Sequel Undergoing Significant Reshoots
by EG
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set to be Disney's next huge Marvel Cinematic Universe release, but the film is reportedly undergoing revisions to its production schedule. Its release has already been delayed by a couple of months, and it's unclear whether or not these reshoots will be enough to push back release even further. Read on for details.
Doctor Strange has fought mystical beings in dark dimensions and faced the might of Thanos but now faces his most potent threat: reshoots.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the Benedict Cumberbatch-starring sequel to Marvel Studios’ 2016 installment, has been prescribed a major new shoot.
In what sources describe as being “significant,” the new shoot, taking place in Los Angeles, is both “additional photography” and “reshoots.”
How significant? Insiders say that Cumberbatch and company are undertaking six weeks of shooting, if not more, working six days a week. Sam Raimi remains as helmer, and Loki head writer Michael Waldron is still on board writing the new material. It is unclear what actors in addition to Cumberbatch are involved. The crew involved is familiar with the Marvel method and worked on recent pickups for the upcoming Spider-Man: No Way Home and additional shooting for next year’s Oscar Isaac series, Moon Knight.
One source played down the severity of the shoot: “Even while in the middle of production, Marvel is scheduling you for more shooting,” adding that the size and complexity of Marvel movies necessitate additional photography.
One insider scoffed at the size and scope: “We’ve had bigger reshoots on other MCU movies.”
However, other sources have their eyebrows raised at the length. “They’re here until the end of the year. That’s like a whole other movie,” said one.
Several factors appear to be driving the shoot. One insider said about two weeks are dedicated to principal photography that was held over from the initial shoot that took place in the U.K. due to what is described as actor availability issues. The insider played down concerns that the reshoots were related to retooling the story.
Another reason for the shoot concerns catching up on production slowdowns from COVID-related matters that hit the initial U.K. production. It was those slowdowns that reared their head when they unexpectedly affected the Marvel release schedule in October.
On Oct. 18, Marvel and Disney announced the pushing back of Multiverse of Madness from March 25, 2022, to May 6, 2022. Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, The Marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania hopscotched backward into new dates as well.
First announced at Comic-Con in 2019, Multiverse of Madness is an ambitious project for Marvel, with one aspect dealing with alternate versions of fan-favorite superheroes, much in the way that the recent Disney+ series What if …? reimagined Marvel mainstays.
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.