There are some big changes coming to Marvel Television. The Marvel Cinematic Universe first introduced TV in 2021, when WandaVision debuted on Disney+. So far, the shows have largely existed as standalone miniseries, trying to introduce characters to the MCU or explore a window of time that furthers the saga of the movies. Things are going to be different now, as Marvel Television is focused on creating more sustainable TV projects.
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Speaking to ComicBook about the premiere of Daredevil: Born Again, Marvel Television boss Brad Winderbaum opened up about the plans for the franchise’s TV titles moving forward.
“Moving forward our priorities have shifted,” Winderbaum told us. “We’re making shows as shows that can exist as annual releases, more like television.”
Winderbaum went on to elaborate on the shift in Marvel’s approach to TV. There are a lot of projects in some phase of development, but shows aren’t going to be given the green light unless they can sustain multiple seasons. That’s a huge difference from the previous model, which used TV projects to essentially introduce characters and storylines for future movies.
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“Certainly we are writing much more than we produce. We’ve gone back to a more traditional television model,” he continued. “It feels a little different because we’re Marvel and there’s a little more of a spotlight on us. So the rumor mill starts to fly and certain things we have in development get more attention than a normal TV studio making other content. But we’re not going to make something until it’s ready and we’re not going to make something that can’t sustain many seasons, so that’s going to be the biggest driver.”
Part of the traditional television model includes shooting pilot episodes, which allow the studios to see how the cast fits together and what the show can be. Pilots can get reworked or result in re-casting key roles before the rest of the show moves forward. For the most part, that’s a part of the model Marvel Television isn’t going to be following.
“In terms of shooting a pilot, I don’t think we’ll shoot pilots to audition for series, but we may shoot the first episode in advance of the rest of the series so we can pivot if there’s creative changes,” Winderbaum explained.
Daredevil: Born Again has already been ordered for 18 total episodes, and there’s no reason why there couldn’t be more after that. It seems like this series, which already has a built-in audience, will be something of a guinea pig for how Marvel TV wants to approach other shows going forward.
