‘Doctor Strange’ Sequel To Have Major Reshoots After Marvel Pushed Back Premiere Date

“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” is going back to production after Marvel Studios prescribed a major reshoot to ensure the quality of the sequel to the hit 2016 movie.

Sources exclusively told The Hollywood Reporter this week that “significant” reshoots are taking place in Los Angeles. Aside from reshoots, “additional photography” is also in the works.

Sam Raimi remains to be the helmer of the project while Michael Waldron is still writing the script for the additional scenes, according to insiders.

The changes to the material could be massive since the insiders indicated that Cumberbatch and the cast and crew will have to work six days a week for the next six weeks.

“Even while in the middle of production, Marvel is scheduling you for more shooting,” one source said, seemingly downplaying the size and scope of the additional work for the sequel.

Another insider noted that this wouldn’t be the first time for Marvel to ask for significant changes to a project. “We’ve had bigger reshoots on other MCU movies,” said the tipster.

On the other hand, a different source alluded to the severity of the reshoots saying, “They’re here until the end of the year. That’s like a whole other movie.”

However, the same insider made it clear that the people behind the project are not retooling the story. It’s highly likely that some scenes will just be remade since the initial shoot in the U.K. experienced some issues due to production slowdowns brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The decision to reshoot and add new scenes to “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” comes about a month after it was announced that the sequel’s premiere date was moved from March 25, 2022 to May 6, 2022, as per The Verge.

Other MCU films that had their release dates pushed back include “Thor: Love and Thunder” (from May 6 to July 8), “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (July 8 to Nov. 11), “The Marvels” (from Nov. 11 to Feb. 17, 2023) and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (from Feb. 17, 2023 to July 28, 2023).

Aside from Cumberbatch, the second “Doctor Strange” movie, which was first announced at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, will also star Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda Maximoff), Rachel McAdams (Christine Palmer) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (Karl Mordo), among others, according to Nerdist.