How Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum Was Transformed for Its Appearance in 'Spider-Man: No Way Home'
Spider-Man: No Way Home is finally here—and while many of us are eager to see which fan theories are correct (Are Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire in the film? Does MJ survive the fall we see in the film's trailer?), we were equally as taken by the set design of none other than Doctor Strange's New York City mansion, AKA the Sanctum Sanctorum.
OG Marvel fans may know that this is not the first time Doctor Strange's Manhattan residence has appeared on screen, as it has also appeared in films like Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Doctor Strange (2016)—not to mention its first comic book appearance was in 1963. However, the imposing dwelling does take on a bit of a new look this time around, given that its interiors are swathed in snow, for starters.
To find out exactly how the Sanctum Sanctorum was transformed for its starring role in Spider-Man: No Way Home, we spoke to the film's set decorator, Rosemary Brandenburg—and there is plenty of insight that fans will find fascinating.
*Some spoilers ahead.*
Beyond the aforementioned snow, the parts of the Sanctum Sanctorum that are unique to this film are its basement and dungeon, as well as a vestibule located in the back of the grand foyer. Typically, those areas of the mansion are not shown on screen—but, they all played a necessary role in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Of course, the Sanctum Sanctorum exists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it because of its presence in the comics, where it first appeared in Strange Tales #110, which was published in July 1963. Its fictional location is 177A Bleecker Street in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, which was a nod to the former address of comic book writers Roy Thomas and Gary Friedrich.
For Spider-Man: No Way Home, production designer Darren Gilford and art director Sam Avila incorporated a number of Easter Eggs from the comics in the Sanctum Sanctorum's basement, including "magic symbols carved into some of the beams, and an insignia in a floor paving stone, among others," reveals Brandenburg. She adds that the design team also included "magic spell diagrams from the comics amongst the back areas of the basement in our alchemy alcove."
And although we have seen the Sanctum Sanctorum in other MCU films, its Spider-Man: No Way Home set was completely rebuilt from scratch, based on photos and plans from previous Marvel films. "A great deal of care was taken by" Gilford, Avila, and supervising art director Dave Scott "to make the set just as beautiful as the one originally designed by production designer Charles Wood," adds Brandenburg.
The copious amounts of snow we now see in Doctor Strange's abode were first developed through concept art done by a team of illustrators who were led by Gilford, with the final design being executed by special effects foreman Dan Sudick’s team. "Many different layers went into the final product and took quite some time to install," Brandenburg reveals. And, in true Marvel fashion, "this was some of the best snow" she had ever used on a film set.
One other key difference from this version of the Sanctum Sanctorum versus its appearance in Avengers: Infinity War is a less elaborate selection of decor, which was requested by Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts. "The set decorator for that film, Leslie Pope, left us a wonderful catalog of what she used, and much of it was in storage at Marvel’s warehouse," discloses Brandenburg. "What we didn’t find there, we reproduced. However, Watts’ directive to us was that there has been a change in the management at the Sanctum, and, as much chaos has ensued, he wanted that reflected. So we changed things up a bit. We created some new tapestries and furniture, but generally made a mess of things under all the snow."
One of the most important parts of the Sanctum Sanctorum ends up being its dungeon, as that is where the many villains of this film spend a fair amount of time early on in the story. To create this man-made set, art department researcher Lisa Fiorito provided an array of images of caves and grottos as inspiration. In the end, says Brandenburg, an unlikely—yet still visually appealing—space provided the greatest amount of inspiration for the dungeon's design: an ancient basement located underneath the Vatican in Rome. Under the supervision of construction coordinator Bob Blackburn, lead sculptor Yann Denoual and his team worked for weeks getting the stone "just right," while staff shop foreman Jeff House, plasterer David Howland, and paint foreman Chris Woodworth completed the finishing touches of this set.
"This fantastic rock cave features alcoves with magic barriers that can hold the strongest of villains," declares Brandenburg. The visual effects team, headed by VFX supervisor Kelly Port, brought this space to life for the big screen. And on the film's set, plexiglass barriers were installed to help the actors see the vision in real time. Plus, the spell that Doctor Strange conducts for the sake of helping Peter Parker can be traced back to a magic stone globe that Brandenburg and the rest of the design team built into the rock of the cave.
And while we are led to believe that Doctor Strange lives in New York City, the Sanctum Sanctorum set (both its interior and exterior) was actually built on a soundstage in Atlanta. The entire exterior was handled by the visual effects team, while the design team created the first floor, as well as the street outside of the dwelling and several brownstones located across the street. Naturally, the man-made street was made of cobblestones to emulate a true Greenwich Village street, and it was complemented by lampposts and fire hydrants sourced from a New York prop house. Several other New York neighborhoods were recreated for the film as well, including Long Island City, where Happy Hogan (played by Jon Favreau) lives.
When it came to furnishing the Sanctum Sanctorum, a slew of spots were enlisted, including Marvel’s warehouse and a number of Los Angeles prop houses, most notably Omega Cinema Props, which provided a pair of sizable mirrors with Rococo frames. Additionally, Universal Studios Props supplied a large brass planter that sits at the foot of the grand staircase.
As for the decor seen in the basement, auction houses, estate sales, prop houses and antique stores around Atlanta and Los Angeles were the go-to spots for sourcing these pieces. "I found some great exotic items at Divines Furniture in Monterey Park in Los Angeles," says Brandenburg. "Among our many sources in Atlanta were Scott’s Antique Market, Kelly & Company Antiques, and Technical Props."
While we can't all live in a lavish New York City abode à la Doctor Strange, we can live vicariously through him while watching Spider-Man: No Way Home.
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