8 Upcoming Movies Undergoing Reshoots (And What It Means)

8. The Voyage Of Doctor Dolittle

The Reshoots

Following poor test screenings of the upcoming Robert Downey Jr.-starring Doctor Dolittle reboot, it was reported that the film recently underwent three weeks of reshoots in an attempt to fix a project that wasn't quite coming together.

Director Stephen Gaghan (Syriana), who has never worked on a CGI-heavy project before, was teamed with Jonathan Liebesman (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) for the reshoots in what was said to be a "collaboration" to repair the movie's issues.

The pivotal problems are said to be the interaction between the human characters and the digital animals, and also the film's tone.

What They Mean

Whether or not the film turns out good or not, the main takeaway here is that the film's budget has now been confirmed to be at least $175 million, which will ensure it faces a major uphill struggle at the box office.

Three weeks of reshoots isn't particularly out of the ordinary for large-scale projects like this, but it doesn't speak well to Gaghan's capability as a director, and Liebesman isn't exactly an acclaimed hotshot filmmaker himself.

Chris McKay (The Lego Batman Movie) reportedly re-wrote some of the reshoot material, which is at least somewhat encouraging, but at present it's tough to have much faith at all in this film being a critical or commercial success.

Ultimately, it comes down to this - did anyone ask for a new Doctor Dolittle movie, especially one dangerous close to $200 million in cost? And will the presence of Iron Man sell people on it? Doubtful.

The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle releases on January 17, 2020, delayed nine months from its original April 12, 2019 date.