Benedict Cumberbatch Explains Reasons for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Reshoots

Even though reshoots are typical in big-budget movies, news of reshoots for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness created a rather large buzz on social media. Reports of the Doctor Strange 2 reshoots came down at the beginning of November, with the additional photography taking at least six weeks of shooting, working six days a week in Los Angeles. Star Benedict Cumberbatch has discussed what is taking place with the reshoots and the reasons behind them. What it mostly comes down to are delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which made things move slower than normal.

“We’re in the middle of reshoots,” Cumberbatch told Empire magazine. “We’re working incredibly hard to make a schedule work to realise the full potential of the film – bits that we want to do better but also bits that were just impossible to do on the day because of logistics, COVID etc.”

He added, “We were so delayed in production, because of that. Luckily, not during production too much. Although everything is just a little slower.”

While there were rumors the reshoots for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness were due to the sequel’s story being retooled, sources claimed “actor availability issues” were a culprit. It also isn’t known what actors aside from Benedict Cumberbatch were required to participate.

Cumberbatch already confirmed the Doctor Strange 2 reshoots in an interview with the Today Show. “Very excited,” he said. “Sam Raimi’s at the helm so expect extraordinary things. And yeah we’re making it even better: we’ve got some reshoots coming up in November and December, and it comes out in May. And I guess you’ll have to wait until then… That’s all you get.” 

The sequel to 2016’s Doctor Strange is shaping up to be a pivotal movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Avengers: Endgame and the Loki Disney+ series helped to introduce the idea of the multiverse, and Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange 2 will continue to build upon it. The movie will star Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Benedict Wong as Wong, Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer, and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Karl Mordo. Xochitl Gomez will join the cast as the future Young Avenger America Chavez, and Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is rumored to also make an appearance.

What do you make of Benedict Cumberbatch’s reasoning for the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness reshoots? Let us know in the comments.