Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Doctor Strange (2016) co-writer C. Robert Cargill stated in April 2016 that Marvel Studios felt some initial ideas for the film from him and director Scott Derrickson highlighted too much of the "weird stuff" associated with the comic book character Doctor Strange to feature in an origin story, but told the duo to hold onto them for potential future films.[12] Derrickson revealed in October that he had plans for a sequel, expressing his love for the character and visual possibilities, and said the first film was "the tip of an iceberg. There's so much progress that can be made." He wanted to follow the example of The Dark Knight (2008) and introduce a villain in the sequel that would allow them to "go deep [and have] a more visceral experience". Star Benedict Cumberbatch added that he had signed on for at least one more Doctor Strange film.[13] Derrickson expressed interest in featuring the villain Nightmare,[14] and further exploring the characters Jonathan Pangborn and Hamir after their smaller roles in the first film. He also explained that, due to his close relationships with Joe Russo—the co-director of Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019)—and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, he was "kept in the loop" on how the Avengers films were using the character.[15] Doctor Strange co-writer Jon Spaihts also expressed interest in seeing the character Clea appear in the film.[16]

In April 2017, Derrickson was reported to be returning for a sequel, beginning work after fulfilling his commitments to the television series Locke & Key.[17] By December 2018, Derrickson had "quietly" finalized a deal to return as director for the sequel, with Cumberbatch reprising his role as Dr. Stephen Strange. Marvel was beginning to search for a writer for the film.[3] Benedict Wong and Rachel McAdams were also expected to reprise their respective roles of Wong and Christine Palmer.[3][18] The Hollywood Reporter said the script would be written throughout 2019 for a planned filming start in early 2020, and added that the film could potentially be released in May 2021.[3] Feige and Derrickson officially announced the sequel at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2019, revealing the title to be Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and confirming a release date of May 7, 2021.[4] Derrickson said that with the sequel he wanted to make the first scary Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film and explore more gothic and horror elements from the comic books than the first installment did.[4][19] Feige also revealed that the Disney+ series WandaVision (2021) would directly set up the film, with that series' star Elizabeth Olsen reprising her MCU role of Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch in the film.[4][2] The film also ties in with the series Loki (2021) and the untitled Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel (2021).[20][10]

Jade Bartlett, an "up-and-coming screenwriter", was hired to write the sequel's screenplay in October 2019.[21] In December, Feige described the multiverse as "the next step in the evolution of the MCU", and said that this film would "crack it wide open" in a way that would have repercussions for the Disney+ series and the next films in Marvel Studios' Phase Four slate.[22] Later in the month, he clarified that the sequel would not be a horror film, as some reports had described it following the Comic-Con announcement, but it would be a "big MCU film with scary sequences". Feige compared these sequences to the films Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), Gremlins (1984), and Poltergeist (1982), and said that Derrickson was good at being "legitimately scary" due to his background making horror films. Feige also revealed that the film would introduce several surprising new characters to the MCU, including one that Marvel Studios had been looking for a way to use in an MCU film for some time.[23] In January 2020, Marvel Studios and Derrickson announced that he would no longer direct the film due to creative differences. In separate statements, they both said they were thankful for their collaboration so far, and that Derrickson would remain an executive producer on the film. This was not expected to delay filming, which was set for May 2020.[24] Cargill added that he and Derrickson did not have the opportunity to write a draft for the film and whatever version of the film Marvel chose to move forward with would not be derivative of their work.[25]

By February, Sam Raimi had entered negotiations to take over as director. Chiwetel Ejiofor was expected to reprise his role as Karl Mordo, while McAdams was no longer expected to appear.[6] Loki head writer Michael Waldron was hired to rewrite the film's script.[26][27] In late March, pre-production work was being done remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming was expected to begin in June 2020.[28] At the start of April, Disney shifted much of their Phase Four slate of films due to the pandemic, moving Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's release date to November 5, 2021.[29] It was shifted again to March 25, 2022, after Sony Pictures rescheduled the untitled Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel to the November 2021 date.[30] Raimi confirmed in mid-April that he would direct the film.[31] By the end of June, production on the film was delayed due to the pandemic. Ejiofor confirmed his involvement then and said filming would begin as soon as possible.[8] In early October, Cumberbatch confirmed that pre-production work on the film had continued and that filming was expected to start by the end of the month or in early November, to shoot in London, England.[32][33] Later in October, Xochitl Gomez joined the cast.[9] Although a national lockdown in England was announced from November 5 to December 2 due to increased COVID-19 cases, film shoots were not expected to be impacted.[34]

Principal photography began on November 4, 2020, in London,[35][36][37] under the working title Stellar Vortex.[38] Olsen began filming her scenes by November 25,[37] shooting back-to-back with WandaVision, which completed filming earlier that month.[39] Yaron Orbach serves as cinematographer on the film.[40][36] Filming was delayed from an initial May 2020 start date due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[24][28][8] In December, McAdams signed on to return as Palmer,[7] with Marvel Studios confirming her involvement along with that of Ejiofor and Wong, and revealing that Gomez would portray America Chavez.[10][11] Cumberbatch was set to begin filming his scenes after completing his work on the Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel, which he began in Atlanta in November 2020.[41][37] In January 2021, Olsen said filming had been put on hold due to the surge of COVID-19 cases in the United Kingdom.[42] Shooting will also occur in New York City, Los Angeles, and Vancouver.[36]