Beyond their big-budget blockbusters, Marvel has been extending their productions into a string of short films that have peppered the home-video releases of features like Thor and Captain America. More than just fan service, these shorts—or "One-Shots" as Marvel dubs them—give love to arcs that—like one shot comics—don't require much time to offer a satisfying punch and story. Buzz has been percolating on their latest secret short, and now EW has a first look and some intriguing details on Item 47.
Available on The Avengers Blu-ray due out September 25th, this One-Shot picks up where the film left off, centering on Benny and Claire, two New Yorkers who come across one of the guns dropped by Loki's alien forces and take this uncanny chance to become a modern Bonnie and Clyde. Lizzy Caplan (Party Down, pictured below) and Jesse Bradford (Flags of Our Fathers) star in the short, which is said to be Marvel's most ambitious One-Shot yet.
Named for the to the gun seen above, Item 47 is Marvel's longest short to date—clocking at 12 minutes, which is three times longer than its predecessors. It's also their most elaborate, featuring multiple sets, visual effects, and action scenes. This new production level belies a new tactic for Marvel, one where the studio could use these One-Shots to lay the groundwork for expanding and exploring the movie Marvel universe and introducing new characters like a new S.H.I.E.L.D. agent played by Titus Welliver, who along with Maximiliano Hernández of Thor, hunts down Benny and Claire.
Beyond being a bonus to fans who bought the Marvel home releases, the shorts could prove a testing ground to see how audiences respond to other Marvel heroes (say Black Panther, Wasp or even Ant-Man) that have not yet been integrated into the Marvel movies. Marvel Studios co-president Louis D’Esposito, who helmed Item 47 admits:
“There’s always a potential to introduce a character. We have 8,000 of them, and they can’t all be at the same level. So maybe there are some that are not so popular, and we introduce them [with a short] – and they take off. I could see that happening.”
Item 47 will screen at San Diego Comic-Con next week. Download The Avengers Second Screen app to uncover a secret Marvel screening on July 12th, as well as access to an undisclosed clip.
