Having reassembled its cast and crew for six weeks of reshoots this past November, Deadline is reporting that Marvel Studios has now wrapped additional photography on this year’s Sam Raimi-directed sequel Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ahead of its planned release date in May.
The news was confirmed to the trade by leading man Benedict Cumberbatch, who also briefly spoke of his excitement for the film and the success of his most recent MCU outing alongside Tom Holland in Spider-Man: No Way Home: “I’m thrilled at the reaction to the teaser trailer at the end of Spider-Man; I’m thrilled at the reaction that film’s been having,” said Cumberbatch. “I mean, it’s been a bit of a moment, to be honest.”
When word first broke on the reshoots, it was said that Marvel Studios was looking to increase the amount of cameos in Multiverse of Madness, with the studio apparently keen to replicate the fan-pleasing success of No Way Home, which – SPOILERS – saw the return of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parkers, as well as Daredevil star Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock.
Similarly to No Way Home, there’s also a whole host of rumoured leaks and details on potential cameos circulating for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and we’re going to get into some of those below. They may be little more than speculation, but if you’re looking to go into the Doctor Strange sequel unspoiled and don’t want to take any chances, then I suggest you STOP READING NOW…
So, for those of you still here, if you’ve been paying attention to all of the rumour and speculation surrounding the film over the past few months, you may be aware that Multiverse of Madness is said to include a version of the Illuminati made up of characters from across the Marvel multiverse. Various line-ups for this secret group of superheroes have been rumoured, but the general consensus is that the roster will include Patrick Stewart’s Professor Xavier (complete with X-Men: The Animated Series faithful floating wheelchair), Hayley Atwell’s Captain Carter, Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau as Captain Marvel, a variant of Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Mordo, and Thor’s other half-brother Balder the Brave.
Well, according to a new rumour from The Illuminerdi, we can now throw another name into the mix in Reed Richards, although it won’t be Ioan Gruffudd or Miles Teller bring Mister Fantastic into the MCU but rather John Krasinski. The Jack Ryan star and A Quiet Place director has long been linked to the role (alongside his wife Emily Blunt as Susan Storm) for Marvel’s planned Fantastic Four movie, and according to this latest report Krasinski’s Mister Fantastic will make his debut in the Doctor Strange sequel before joining the rest of the First Family when Spider-Man director Jon Watts assembles the F4 for their own movie.
Meanwhile, another equally unverified rumour is doing the rounds from various fan sites which claims that Marvel reached out to Ben Affleck to potentially reprise his role as Matt Murdock from 2003’s Daredevil movie for a cameo appearance in Multiverse of Madness. Whether there’s any weight to this, who knows, but judging by Affleck’s recent comments on blockbusters and theatrical releases, we can’t imagine that slipping back into the red leather is high on his list of priorities.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is directed by Sam Raimi and stars Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange), Benedict Wong (Wong), Rachel McAdams (Christine Palmer), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Mordo) and Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch) as well as Xochitl Gomez (The Baby-Sitters Club) as America Chavez.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set for release on May 6th 2022.
Originally published January 16, 2022. Updated January 17, 2022.
