Rogue Pictures signed Marshall to direct "Doomsday" in October 2005, and in November 2006, actress Rhona Mitra was signed to star in "Doomsday" as the leader of the elite team. Production was budgeted at £17 million, an amount that was triple the combined total of Marshall's previous two films, "Dog Soldiers" (2002) and "The Descent" (2005). The increase in scale was a challenge to the director, who had been accustomed to small casts and limited locations. Marshall described the broader experience: "There's fifty or more speaking parts; I'm dealing with thousands of extras, logistical action sequences, explosions, car chases — the works."