Doctor Strange 2 May Film Next Year, According to Benedict Wong

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Benedict Wong says Doctor Strange 2 may start filming in 2020. In addition to serving as the culmination of the franchise's Infinity Saga, this year's Avengers: Endgame lay the groundwork for what's to come in Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Among the MCU superheroes that will carry the torch on from here are Stephen Strange, who MCU origins were explored in 2016's Doctor Strange movie. Benedict Cumberbatch has since reprised the role for a small scene in Thor: Ragnarok, in addition to his supporting turn in both Avengers: Infinity War and this year's Endgame.

For his next trick, Strange will lead another film of his own - namely, Doctor Strange 2. Doctor Strange co-writer and director Scott Derrickson became formally attached to the project in December 2018, but there haven't been any major updates on that front since then. Nevertheless, the sequel is actively moving forward, and is currently on-pace to begin production sometime within the next year. At least, that's what Wong (who plays Strange's fellow wizard, Wong, in the MCU) is saying right now.

Wong was on-hand for Denver's Pop Culture Con when (naturally) he was asked about the status of the Doctor Strange sequel. According to the actor (via LRM Online), the film has a writer - one he didn't name, but confirmed he met at Endgame's premiere - and he believes it "may be happening some time next year".

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Earlier this year, it was reported that Derrickson's frequent cowriter, C. Robert Cargill, was in talks to return for the Doctor Strange sequel. However, it's difficult to say if Wong was referring to Cargill here. His comment suggests he met Doctor Strange 2's writer for the first time at Endgame's premiere, which means there could be a third writer involved with the film (assuming Derrickson and Cargill are cowriting the script again). Either way, it appears the sequel is still firmly in pre-production mode and won't be ready to begin production until next year, like Wong indicated. Even so, there's a fair chance Doctor Strange 2 will be the first MCU movie out of the gate in 2021, after Black Widow (which is now filming) and The Eternals (which is quickly filling out its cast) take the two MCU release dates Disney's reserved for 2020.

As for Doctor Strange 2's plot: details are (obviously) under-wraps right now, but it's reasonable to assume the sequel will pay-off its predecessor's post-credits tease. For those who need a refresher: the film concluded with a scene where Baron Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) took a big step forward on his journey to becoming the full-blown antagonist he's known for being in the Marvel Comics universe, and declaring that earth has "Too many sorcerers" for its own good. Doctor Strange 2 is also expected to deal with the (presumed) destruction of the Time Stone in Endgame and reveal how that impacts Strange and Wong's ability to defend the world from magical threats. In short: Thanos may be gone, but Doctor Strange's work is far from done.