Marvel TV boss Brad Winderbaum shared new details about the upcoming Wonder Man TV series and specifically described is as “a story about acting.”
First, Entertainment Weekly’s Nick Romano reveals that the series will see Yahya Abdul-Mateen II take on the role of Simon Williams as he auditions for the lead role of Wonder Man, a reboot of an older show. It will also see him bond with Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery character of their love of acting.
Winderbaum described the series as “one of my favorite things I’ve ever been a part of at the studio.”
He then shared that it “takes place within the MCU, but it’s a story about Hollywood. And it’s a story about not just Hollywood, I would say it’s a story about acting and the journey of an actor in Hollywood, of having to balance being an artist with making money and very grounded ideas that anyone who came up in Hollywood or in the arts in general can relate to. I certainly could on a very deep level.”
When asked if it was Marvel’s version of The Studio, he responded, “[Wonder Man] is very different than The Studio, actually. It’s different tonally. It’s very sincere and it’s very focused on acting as a craft. The Studio is really more about the big Hollywood system and the machine and the craziness that ensues. This is really a very intimate portrait of one actor trying to live his dreams while the world and the need to make money intervenes.”
Additionally, he shared that Executive Producer Destin Daniel Cretton and Head Writer Andrew Guest have “crafted something that is really deep and wonderful and moving at times. It’s for an MCU fan that knows the history of Trevor Slattery from Iron Man 3 to Shang-Chi to here. There is a very interesting three-act structure for his character, as well. I don’t wanna spoil anything, but it’s very sincere. It’s very earnest. It’s not cynical.”
Finally, he revealed the show is currently planned to have just a single season, but if people show up to watch it, it is possible to have a second season, “I would put Marvel Zombies on that list, I’d put Wonder Man on that list where we have to see. Season 2s could be on the table if people watch. If it’s the only Wonder Man story, it really stands on its own as a beautiful piece. But I anticipate that when people get to the end of this story, they’re gonna want more. And I hope that’s what happens.”
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“takes place within the MCU, but it’s a story about Hollywood"
Who wants this? Who is out there salivating for a bucket of self-referential D-tier Marvel/Disney slop?
Wonder Ma-a-an!! Fighting to smoke crack, now that he's black. Wonder Ma-a-an.