Much has been made of the extended production time of Marvel Studios first 2022 release, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Production on the film began last November, under the working title Stellar Vortex, before wrapping in April after having been disrupted by COVID. A reported 6 weeks of additional photography on the film wrapped up in September following which is was reported that another two months of work were scheduled on the film to “realize the full potential of the film.”
It’s standard operating procedure for Marvel Studios to schedule additional photography for all of their projects, however, the recent two month extension caused some stir among fans that the film was in trouble. The film has undergone tremendous changes since its inception, with a new creative team of Michael Waldron and Sam Raimi, taking over from Scott Derrickson, who wrote and directed the first film. As usual, however, Marvel Studios has kept quiet about the upcoming sequel, simply moving the film’s release date from March to May.
The only person related to Marvel Studios to have publicly acknowledged the reshoots was star Benedict Cumberbatch, who also happens to play a major role in the latest MCU film, Spider-Man: No Way Home. The film’s red carpet premiere was last night, bringing out all the big wigs at both Marvel and Sony, including Marvel Studios’ President of Physical, Post Production, Victoria Alonso. Alonso was asked if that extensive additional photography had wrapped up yet and she was unsurprisingly forthcoming with her response saying, “No we haven’t (finished production). We’re shooting additional photography-we’re almost done.“
Alonso’s comments fall in line with the expected timing of the extended shoot, which was originally reported to take about 6 weeks to complete. Should everything work out, production should wrap on the film before Christmas, giving the studios more than four months to edit in the new footage and get the film ready for its May debut.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now slated for a May 6th, 2022 release.
