Doctor Strange 2 Undergoing Extensive Reshoots Through The End Of Year

The Eye of Agamotto might be a little bloodshot than usual in the coming weeks, because "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" is gearing up for an intense round of reshoots. And while "reshoots" is no longer the dirty word it once was in Hollywood parlance, this sounds like a far bigger deal than the normal amount of reshoots that are typically built into the production schedule. "Doctor Strange 2" may be in a bit of trouble.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Marvel Studios production is about to undergo "significant" reshoots and additional photography in Los Angeles.

Broadly speaking, reshoots were once seen as a sure-fire sign that a production was in serious trouble. But over the past decade, Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm have changed that perception by incorporating reshoots and additional photography into the production schedule at the beginning of each project, giving directors some time to learn what may not be working and the resources to fix it. That extra time has proven crucial, especially since those companies frequently hire some of the biggest and most in-demand actors on the planet, who are often jumping from one project directly into another; having time for reshoots built into the schedule has worked wonders to avoid expensive and headache-inducing scheduling conflicts.

Unfortunately, this situation does not sound like it falls under the normal definition of planned reshoots. According to THR, the crew of "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" will be working on reshoots that will last "six weeks of shooting, if not more, working six days a week." Importantly, though, director Sam Raimi and writer Michael Waldron are said to still be involved. That puts this production in stark contrast to something like "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," when Tony Gilroy came in to replace director Gareth Edwards for that film's extensive reshoots.

We know that this film's star, Benny Cumbo (you may know him better as Benedict Cumberbatch), will be involved in the reshoots, but it remains a mystery which actors will be joining him in this apparent scramble to fix the film. There are competing narratives from THR's sources about the possible reasoning for this extra photography, ranging from previous actor availability issues to the production trying to make up for time that was lost due to Covid-related production slowdowns when the movie was shooting in the U.K.

"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" is set to hit theaters on May 6, 2022.