Loki Producer Says Season 2 Didn't Do Any Reshoots After Jonathan Majors' Arrest
Hey, remember when the "Loki" season 1 finale ended on that massive cliffhanger revealing that Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Sylvie's (Sophia Di Martino) meddling at the Citadel at the End of Time had caused some pretty major ripple effects throughout the multiverse, inadvertently setting up Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror as the major antagonist for season 2? I sure hope you do because, other than maybe one or two shots from the original trailer released months back, you wouldn't be able to tell from the marketing that the next Thanos-level supervillain has anything to do with the show's latest batch of episodes.
That's mostly explained away by the fact that, in the time since the first season debuted, Majors landed in hot water after his arrest for alleged criminal actions including assault, strangulation, and harassment. In the immediate aftermath of his actions, the once-ascending movie star was subsequently dropped by his own talent agency and public relations firm, lost out on various brand deals and advertisement campaigns, and was even removed from a number of film and television roles, as well. Now, as Majors awaits his next court appearance later this month (not to mention the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, which prevents actors from promoting their work), it's not terribly surprising that Marvel would hesitate to put him at the front and center of the "Loki" season 2 press cycle. Still, he does play a substantial role in the story (as mentioned in my review for /Film) and, according to a new quote by an executive producer on the series, the studio didn't order additional reshoots to either scale down Kang's role in the proceedings or even recast Majors entirely.
In fact, this appears to be a rare instance where the famously tinker-happy Marvel didn't opt for any reshoots at all.
Missing in action
In a creative decision that could very well end up backfiring in Marvel's face unlike any other casting before (if it hasn't already), the choice to bring Jonathan Majors into the fold and subsequently bet the entire future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe on his performance as Kang has put "Loki" season 2 — and its viewers — in a terribly awkward and uncomfortable spot. Although Majors' arrest in March of 2023 occurred well after principal photography had wrapped on season 2, many speculated that Marvel could've taken proactive measures to mitigate the actor's involvement in the series. Instead, it seems like the studio remains in wait-and-see mode for the time being.
In an interview with Variety, "Loki" executive producer Kevin Wright gave a rather unsatisfying answer as to whether any discussions took place behind the scenes over making changes to the planned storyline for season 2. According to Wright, "No. And that mainly came from — I know as much as you do at the moment. It felt hasty to do anything without knowing how all of this plays out." He goes on to explain how "Loki" differs from, well, practically every major Marvel production since the MCU began in earnest:
"This is the first Marvel series to never have any additional photography. The story that is on-screen is the story we set out to make. We went out there with a very specific idea of what we wanted this to be, and we found a way to tell it in that production period. It's very much what's on screen on Disney+."
That's great and all, I guess, but we're no closer to knowing how Marvel will resolve this Majors problem on their hands.
"Loki" season 2 debuts on Disney+ this Thursday night, October 5, 2023.