After all of the delays and setbacks 2020 brought thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, Marvel Studios will finally kick of Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, not in theaters but on the small screen with WandaVision. The series is set to debut on Disney+ on January 15th and while WandaVision being first out of the gate wasn’t the initial plan, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige says he hopes the series signals “the new and the different” that’s coming, but nothing really shifted, creatively.
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“I hope it says, ‘Get ready for the new and the different,’” Feige said during a recent virtual press conference. “Certainly, with the Disney+ opportunities it has allowed us to expand creatively what we do. [The Falcon and the Winter Soldier] was gonna debut first last year, followed very soon behind by WandaVision. Creatively, it didn’t reshuffle. This required no shuffling whatsoever in terms of the creative…As is often the case when you’re thrown curveballs, the unexpected has often served Marvel Studios well and it has served us well in this case because this show, being our first one, I love how bold it is.”
He continued, “We have things that you will only be able to see initially in theaters…this is very much made to be seen week after week on television which is very different for us.”
Feige did go on to say that while they did have a plan for shuffling things around, they weren’t exactly prepared for something on the scale of the pandemic, adding “I’m not saying we were prepped for a global pandemic; we were not.”
While Feige seemed very optimistic and comfortable with WandaVision kicking off Phase 4 and indeed being the first Marvel Studios project to debut in over a year, WandaVision director Matt Shakman previously told SFX Magazine that he’s slightly terrified of the position the show now inhabits.
“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.”
WandaVision premieres on Disney+ on January 15th. If you haven’t signed up for Disney+ yet, you can try it out here.
Are you excited for WandaVision? Let us know in the comments!
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