Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness is undergoing some pretty substantial reshoots, according to insiders. While it doesn’t necessarily spell doom and gloom for the Sorcerer Supreme, it’s yet another setback for the much anticipated sequel.
The film’s original director, Scott Derrickson, exited under dubious circumstances in 2020 citing “creative differences” with Marvel Studios. The director of the original Spider-Man trilogy, Sam Raimi, then came on board after some hesitation.
Here’s the initial report from The Hollywood Reporter…
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.
While some insiders downplayed the reshoots, saying that Marvel has had much worse, another stated that the crew was “here until the end of the year. That’s like a whole other movie.”
Other reasons cited for the delay include “actor availability” and COVID shutdown related delays.
Delays are not uncommon for Disney tentpole films, but it is sometimes an indicator that the film isn’t quite coming together. In 2018, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker also had an extended round of reshoots, and the movie debuted with a “rotten” critical score on Rotten Tomatoes and a lower than expected box office haul.
Likewise, Solo: A Star Wars Story led to its original directors splitting due to “creative differences.” And that one was a massive disappointment at the box office.
Let’s hope Doctor Strange 2 fares better.
[Source: THR]
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