WandaVision Director Is Nervous to Kick of Marvel’s Phase 4

It’s been over a year since Marvel Studios released their last project in theaters. While Avengers: Endgame rocked fans with the stunning crossover event, becoming the highest-grossing film at the box office, Marvel did give a taste of what to expect with the Sony collaboration Spider-Man: Far From Home. So after a year of delays and setbacks to movie theaters, it’s surprising that WandaVision will kick off Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a matter of weeks. And we aren’t the only ones who feel that way; director Matt Shakman is slightly terrified.

During an interview with SFX Magazine, Shakman spoke about the pressure of not only kicking off Phase 4 in the MCU after the epic ending of Avengers: Endgame. He also addressed being the first Marvel project since July 2019.

“It’s an honor, and it’s terrifying,” said Shakman. “And it is surreal, like everything else [right now]. The fact that we are the first Marvel MCU property to come out since Endgame, I never could have fathomed that when we first started working on this project… But it is a wonderful way to start Marvel’s work in the streaming world. A show that is a giant love letter to the history of television is a perfect way for the maker of the biggest blockbusters to come to television.”

Speaking about the support from the mastermind of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the director added, “Kevin Feige is incredible. He’s been just the best sort of champion for this project, and also the best source of wisdom and guidance. The show beats with a love and an appreciation for the history of television, so it makes sense to be the first one out the gate, even though it wasn’t planned to be that way.”

It’s no secret that WandaVision is heavily influenced by the history of sitcoms on television, which is fitting for Marvel Studios’ pivot to serialized shows on Disney+. But the inspiration for the series stems from a surprising scene from Avengers: Infinity War.

“I really liked the more mundane moments or the small character moments [in the MCU],” said show runner Jac Schaeffer. “In Infinity War, [Wanda and Vision] have this moment in Scotland where they put their life as superheroes on pause, and I think that is very relatable to people. It’s the idea of ‘let’s hide away from the world and just be, and see if this works.’ And when I pitched Black Widow, I had a lot of ‘what’s her real-life like in the real world?’ She’s a superhero and a crazy assassin, but what’s underneath that? That is one of the really delicious and exciting things about WandaVision. We get to see the two of them in several very domestic environments. And we took those moments from the MCU that really shine, and I felt grateful and excited to drop into that space with them for longer.”

WandaVision premieres on Disney+ on January 15th.