Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is just weeks away, and much of the movie-going world waits with bated breath for the Multiversal sequel. The Doctor Strange follow-up has been six years in the making with comic book movie vet Sam Raimi sitting in the director's chair. Raimi was not always the man behind the Benedict Cumberbatch-starring MCU epic, but after Scott Derrickson left the project, Raimi took over directing duties.
Even after Raimi took a hold of the steering wheel from Derrickson, the project has been in a state of flux. MoM has seen multiple delays due to COVID-19 and lengthy reshoots, but Marvel has seemingly put the pieces together.
The sequel will see Benedict Cumberbatch's Stephen Strange traverse the Multiverse alongside Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff and Xochitl Gomez's America Chavez. It is supposedly going to be a cameo-filled odyssey across various Marvel realities.
From the outside, it feels like Multiverse of Madness is full of secrets, that even the film's stars/crew do not know about. And if a recent interview is to be believed, that may be the case even more so due to some last-minute revisions.
Down to the Last Minute for Multiverse of Madness
In an interview with Game Informer, Bruce Campbell, who filmed a part in Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness, has commented on the last-minute changes that were made to the upcoming MCU blockbuster.
The actor indicated that Marvel Studios had a heavy hand in the sequel's reshoots, saying that director Sam Raimi "had to add scenes that [Marvel] told him he had to shoot." Campbell clarified that this is because Marvel makes "eight of these movies at the same time" so the studio is "always updating storylines:"
"The Marvel guys, they make eight of these movies at the same time, so they're always updating storylines. So, my buddy Sam [Raimi] has had to add scenes that [Marvel] told him he had to shoot, and he's removed scenes that no longer apply. So until May rolls around I don’t think Benedict Cumberbatch even knows if he’s in this movie or not."
No Need to Call the Doctor
The fact that it is coming down to the last minute for the final cut of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to be turned in is no surprise. This is a film that feels as though it has a lot riding on it in terms of the future of the MCU.
Surely, Kevin Feige, Sam Raimi, and the rest of the Marvel Studios brass are going to keep this thing in the chamber as long as they can, making sure everything is lined up perfectly. This is just the price one must pay when creating the interwoven tapestry of storytelling that Marvel has with the MCU.
What might be worrying to some is the news that Raimi himself doesn't know what the final product is going to look like. These changes being made by Marvel at this point are likely fairly inconsequential to the actual plot of Multiverse of Madness.
If the studio were to be completely reassembling the five-course meal behind the back of the head chef, in Raimi, no matter the result, it could spell bad things for relations between Marvel Studios and their creatives.
Whatever these changes are, whether they be a last-minute cameo, or simply edits here and there, all will be revealed when Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters on May 6.
