Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is still slated to arrive in May, but it might not be done overcoming hurdles to get to the finish line. In a recent interview, director Sam Raimi admitted that even more reshoots might be in store for his Doctor Strange sequel.
Back in 2019, Marvel announced the release dates for all of its Phase 4 movies. Months later, the pandemic forced the studio to scrap its plans. After taking 2020 off entirely, Marvel finally released its first movie in over two years as Black Widow hit the silver screen on July 9th, 2021. Shang-Chi, Eternals, and Spider-Man: No Way Home each followed over the next few months as Marvel tried to make up for lost time. But days before Eternals came out, Marvel revealed it would be pushing back all of its 2022 and 2023 movies once again.
Unfortunately for Marvel fans, the chaos surrounding release dates might not be over.
Doctor Strange 2 reshoots might not be over
If you have been keeping up with reports and rumors surrouding the MCU, you likely know about the Doctor Strange 2 reshoots. Last October, Benedict Cumberbatch said Multiverse of Madness would be undergoing significant reshoots in November and December. Earlier this month, Deadline reported that Marvel had just wrapped additional photography.
Some rumors suggested that Marvel wanted to flesh out the story and add more cameos. Every Marvel movie has reshoots, but these were far more extensive than what we are used to seeing. These reshoots in turn contributed to the movie’s delay. As a result, the entirety of the Marvel Cinematic Universe had to be pushed back.
Variety recently sat down with Raimi to talk about a short film he produced called You’re Dead Hélène. During their chat, Variety brought up the rumors about the Doctor Strange 2 reshoots. Here’s what Raimi said when Variety asked if he was finally done filming the movie:
I wish I knew the answer to that question. I think we’re done, but we just cut everything. We’re just starting to test the picture and we’ll find out if there’s anything that’s got to be picked up. If something’s unclear or another improvement I can make in this short amount of time left, I’ll do it. One thing I know about the Marvel team is they won’t stop. They’ll keep pushing it until it’s as close to being great as it could.
It’s clear that Raimi will do whatever it takes to make the best movie possible. If that requires more reshoots, then you will see more reports about additional photography.
What does Raimi think of No Way Home?
You might recall that Sam Raimi has been working with Marvel since long before the MCU was birthed. Raimi directed all three of the Spider-Man movies starring Tobey Maguire, who returned in No Way Home last year. Raimi told Variety that he was excited to see the actors he worked with back together on the big screen:
It was so much fun. I love No Way Home and the audience I was with went crazy. It was delightful to watch Alfred play his role, and Willem Dafoe, just seeing these guys take it to the next level. And Tobey was awesome as always. The best word I can say is it was refreshing for me.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters on May 6th, 2022.
