Avengers: Doomsday is set to begin shooting in the UK any day now and, according to public records acquired by Forbes, Disney has already spent double on pre-production - $8 million - compared to 2023's Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.
Not only does this point to the House of Mouse putting its weight behind the Marvel Studios movie, but it's likely a sign that some huge sets are being built. In comparison, the Ant-Man threequel was shot almost entirely on The Volume, giving it something of a lifeless feel in the process.
The fact costs are already racking up on Avengers: Doomsday is bound to raise some eyebrows, particularly after the Russo Brothers reportedly spent as much as $320 million on their recent Netflix critical flop, The Electric State.
Of course, it's worth remembering that Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame had a combined budget of $1.3 billion, with both movies making that back and then some (until Avatar's re-release, Endgame was the highest-grossing movie ever).
"With a roster of actors which reads like a roll call for the Oscars, Marvel had to go to great lengths to prevent production costs from ballooning," the site's report explains. "Instead of filming the movies in the United States, where many of the cast are based, the movies will instead be shot at the historic Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom where studios get a cash reimbursement of up to 25.5% of the money they spend in the country."
It's also been revealed that Avengers: Doomsday's working title is "For All Time Productions UK." Loki fans will remember that "For All Time. Always" is the TVA's motto and likely a reference to the Multiversal shenanigans we'll see when Earth-616's Mightiest Heroes battle Doctor Doom.
Some might take this as confirmation we'll see the TVA and Miss Minutes, though that was surely inevitable after Deadpool & Wolverine. Loki is also expected to play a major role in the story as the God of Mischief remains at the centre of the Multiverse as its battery.
"Well, we always create our own version of the story," Joe Russo recently said when asked which version of Secret Wars, a story told in 1984 and 2015, will inspire these Avengers movies. "So, we use the comics as loose inspiration."
"But, you know, I grew up on the original run," he continued. "That's something that got me into Marvel comic books. The Hickman run is also fantastic [and they're] very different from each other in a lot of ways, so we'll draw inspiration from both of them."
While concept art for both Doomsday and Secret Wars has leaked online, very little has been revealed about the movies. The bulk of shooting is expected to take place behind closed doors or in locations off-limits to the paparazzi.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released in May 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive in May 2027.