Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness had a lot of story to pack into its 126-minute runtime, a runtime that is definitely on the shorter side when looking at recent MCU films. But that runtime was originally much longer, according to director Sam Raimi.
Following the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange 2 follows Benedict Cumberbatch's sorcerer hero through the alternate realities of the multiverse as he tries to protect teenager America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) from those looking to steal her dimension-hopping powers. The sequel's runtime makes it the shortest MCU flick since 2019's Captain Marvel, which clocked in at 124 minutes.
If the story is told right, a runtime shouldn't determine how great a film is, but since the Doctor Strange sequel underwent many significant reshoots, it's difficult not to dwell on what the original cut looked like, especially when the flick became one of most hyped films to date in the MCU. So when speaking with Collider, Raimi was of course asked about that original cut and how much footage was taken out. "It was probably like two hours and 40 minutes, and it slowly came down, even though we did the reshoots," the Evil Dead and Spider-Man filmmaker recalled. "We took out material even though the reshoots went in. So, it slowly got down to about two hours and five minutes is the total."
While many fans could have easily experienced another 30 minutes or so of Raimi's unique vision, Doctor Strange 2 no doubt packed plenty of surprises. These surprises included cameos that will surely be discussed for a while, especially considering how those particular characters met a certain fate. That being said, it will be interesting to see if Raimi continues his work in the MCU, and how far off we will see him directing another project.
The sequel received generally positive reviews from critics, with many praising Raimi's injection of horror elements and the performances. Other than Cumberbatch's and Gomez's exciting portrayals, the film also stars Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo, Benedict Wong as Wong, and Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer. Loki head writer Michael Waldron, who was praised for his work on the Marvel Studios series, was hired to rewrite the script along with newcomer Jade Bartlett. Raimi also replaced director Scott Derrickson, who helmed the first film.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now playing in theatres.
Source: Collider Interviews/YouTube