WandaVision Director Matt Shakman Explains Why Olsen Twin Full House Cameos Were Not Considered

Marvel's WandaVision director Matt Shakman reveals why you shouldn't expect Mary-Kate and Ashley [...]

Marvel's WandaVision director Matt Shakman reveals why you shouldn't expect Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, the twin sisters of Wanda Maximoff star Elizabeth Olsen, to pop in with a "you got it, dude." The first original series from Marvel Studios does delve into meta territory later on with a nod to Full House, the seminal '90s sitcom that featured the Olsen twins in a joint role as the scene-stealing Michelle Tanner, but Shakman prefers to focus on newlywed suburban couple Wanda and Vision (Paul Bettany) over cameos from stars of sitcoms past.

"For us, we were faithfully recreating the style of the shows with authenticity. It wasn't about parody or homage or spoof," Shakman told Variety when asked about whether Marvel Studios considered an Olsen twins cameo. "It really was about telling the story of Wanda and Vision. And so, for that reason, we were focusing on our characters who are the best actors to bring those characters to life, rather than trying to find a way to have Bob Newhart pop by."

Bettany did reveal he shares scenes with a secret actor who will be "a surprise for everybody," but it won't be a Full House alum. In a separate interview, Olsen acknowledged there's a "very meta" nod to her sisters' iconic show somewhere in WandaVision, which takes its characters through decades of classic television.

"I was very excited to do it!" Olsen told ET Online about the Full House reference still ahead in later episodes. "They always watch the [Marvel Cinematic Universe films] that I'm in, which is great."

Despite its influence on WandaVision, Marvel Studios president and producer Kevin Feige once forgot the familial connection between the two Full House actors and his longtime Scarlet Witch star.

"[Family sitcoms] meant a lot to us, dated and silly as they may seem, there's a comfort factor there. That was the primary factor behind the comic inspiration versus what led us to putting these ideas together," Feige said during a virtual press conference attended by ComicBook.com. "There is a wonderful thing that happened with Matt's background [as a child actor] as he's talked about, which is so amazing. Lizzie's background with her sisters, which didn't even occur to me until I think we were standing in the writers room with pictures of Full House on the wall, and I went 'Oh, right.'"

New episodes of WandaVision premiere Fridays on Disney+.

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