Doctor Strange 2 Adds New Cast Member

The long-awaited Doctor Strange 2 has had its share of setbacks--including losing original director Scott Derrickson, until Spider-Man's Sam Raimi stepped in earlier this year--but hopefully they will be firmly a thing of the past, especially as new casting announcements are coming out. According to Deadline, Xochitl Gomez (The Baby-Sitters Club) will be the latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. It has not yet been announced who she will be playing.

Benedict Cumberbatch will be returning in the title role, and also reprising roles are Benedict Wong (Deadly Class) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (The Lion King)--Wong as the sorcerer coincidentally with the same name, and Ejiofor as nemesis Karl Mondo. Elizabeth Olsen (Avengers: Age of Ultron) is also reportedly due to return as Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff for a storyline that will connect with this year's still upcoming Disney+ series WandaVision. As it stands, the WandaVision show will be the only MCU release for the year--the last time a year went by without a new movie was 2009.

Information regarding the sequel is still scarce. In a recent interview, Cumberbatch indicated that filming is due to start either "in late October or early November," so it is reasonable to expect more details to emerge sooner rather than later. While Derrickson is no longer producing, he previously revealed he will stay on as an executive producer.

Check out our breakdown of Marvel's Phase 4--the production slate for movies due to be released between 2020 through early 2022--for a look into what's still ahead from Marvel. Even though it's been a rough year for movies, there's still a lot ahead to look forward to.