Reshoots is a dirty word among fans in this business. The general consensus is that when reshoots occur during a big-budget production, it’s a sign that everything is a total mess behind-the-scenes and fires need to be put out. While that is the case in certain situations, most of the time it’s a standard byproduct of the production pipeline. Oftentimes, it’s when a lot of unexpected magic happens as filmmakers have a better perspective of their movie now that they’ve seen it on the cutting room floor.
Case in point, the reshoots of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness birthed the astounding musical fight scene between two Stranges fighting for the Darkhold. Fandom.com spoke with Danny Elfman who revealed that the scene was conceptualized during reshoots:
Whereas the musical battle was very late in the game, and Sam was returning to England to shoot a second time. He says, ‘I’ve got this idea,’ and he’s describing it to me. And I said, ‘Sam, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.’ And he’s like, ‘Don’t worry, don’t worry, you’ll see it, you’ll see.’
Danny Elfman
That particular showdown is undeniably one of the most exciting fight sequences the MCU has ever had. It’s a fight scene that harkens back to the fantastical days of Disney in Fantasia as well as the audacious mindbending journeys of Doctor Strange in the Silver Age. It’s also surprising to learn that the idea wasn’t necessarily from Elfman but from director Sam Raimi himself. Regardless, the scene is a great encapsulation of Raimi’s creative relationship with Elfman, which goes back decades.
Source: Fandom
