"Studio release dates are the enemy of art." - Scott Derrickson, December 2019
The mixed reviews that greeted “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” went beyond just critics, as even fans have shown their discontent, especially towards screenwriter Michael Waldron.
Xochitl Gomez, who plays America Chavez in ‘Multiverse of Madness’ broke her silence and responded to the criticism. But it’s what she said about the writing process behind the film that has people buzzing:
“Y’all need to stop hating on Michael Waldron…They asked for 33 rewrites…none of it is up to him.”
Okay, so what’s the exact definition of a rewrite here? A full-on overhaul or a change in one scene or one dialogue? 33 different drafts must be a record for a Hollywood production. This is unheard of. I don’t know how director Sam Raimi decided to stay on board after this.
Waldron turned out to be the sole name credited on the screenplay. This does, however, further the sentiment that Marvel Studios gets a little too involved on the creative side of things when it comes to these MCU movies.
A few months back, Bruce Campbell made a funny joke about the rewrites:
“The Marvel guys, they make eight of these movies at the same time, so they’re always updating storylines. So, my buddy Sam [Raimi] has had to add scenes that [Marvel] told him he had to shoot, and he’s removed scenes that no longer apply. So until May rolls around I don’t think Benedict Cumberbatch even knows if he’s in this movie or not."
Fine, Iron Man famously started production without a locked script. The film was HEAVY on improv. The same goes for “Thor: Ragnarok”. Both films had a ton of improvisation and didn't follow the script. They turned out to be very good movies. However, I highly doubt that either of them had 30+ rewrites.