Disney+ will launch WandaVision in December as the first of several MCU-geared TV series, which will (if all goes as planned) help propel Phase 4 into theaters — whenever that can happen. Obviously, release dates for Black Widow, The Eternals, and Shang-Chi all moved to 2021, and Disney+ is still working on finishing Falcon and the Winter Solder production, but WandaVision‘s vibes so far suggest that it won’t disrupt the planned flow (though it might add mutants). Last year, D23 footage promised a Marvel entry like we’ve never seen before — this looked like a not-at-all-subtle homage to The Dick Van Dyke Show and Bewitched with some The Outer Limits tossed into the mix — and the series trailer has reflected that feel.
Essentially, Wanda and Vision will be throwing back to campy 1950 classic sitcoms, and as a new Entertainment Weekly feature revealed, the show leaned right into a live studio audience for laughs. The piece contains a lot of cool tidbits, like how Paul Bettany was painted blue instead of red when they shot black-and-white segments, and Kevin Feige has explained why he decided to do the sitcom thing. As it turns out, he’s a diehard-sitcom guy who loves to watch Nick and Nite-style stuff on MeTV before work each day, and it helps him escape the news:
“I would get ready for the day and watch some old sitcom because I couldn’t take the news anymore. Getting ready to go to set over the last few years, I kept thinking of how influential these programs were on our society and on myself, and how certainly I was using it as an escape from reality where things could be tied up in a nice bow in 30 minutes.”
It sure sounds like WandaVision might make 2020 feel a little more tolerable, if Feige’s approach works out. As far as format goes, Teyonah Parris, who portrays the grown version of Captain Marvel‘s Monica Rambeau, told EW that the show feels like “six Marvel movies packed into what they’re presenting as a sitcom.” So, it’s a limited series, but there will be many other MCU shows, including Loki shenanigans to come.
WandaVision also stars Kat Dennings, Randall Park, and Kathryn Hahn. Expect a debut sometime in December.
(Via Entertainment Weekly)