The Marvel Cinematic Universe had been expanding at a rate approximately equivalent to the actual universe, but following the return of Bob Iger as the CEO of Disney, there was a strong feeling the MCU had done too much too fast. There was a public effort to produce fewer Marvel series for Disney+, and yesterday we learned several shows that had been in development at Marvel had been canned.
The shows, including Nova, Terror, Inc. and Strange Academy, hadn’t actually been publicly announced or put on the official list of upcoming Marvel TV shows, so it seemed likely this was just a case of not moving forward on ideas, not actual projects. However, it now sounds like that wasn’t quite the case.
The Cancelled Marvel Shows May Have been Further Along Than We Thought
According to Daniel Richtman (via ComicBookMoivie), while none of the three shows had been given an official greenlight, all of them had strong concepts in place and even had directors attached. One could assumed they would have filmed the pilots, if not more had the series gone in front of cameras.
If there were people in place to act as directors, and possibly showrunners, then there likely was some active work going on to turn these shows into realities. While it doesn’t sound like any of the shows ever got as far as casting, at least one of them would have brought in already-established characters.
All Three Cancelled Shows Sound Incredible
Strange Academy would have starred Benedict Wong's Sorcerer Supreme Wong and focused on him training a new generation of sorcerers. The cast would have included America Ferrara, played by Xochitl Gomez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Zelma Stanton, who will be introduced in the upcoming Ironheart series later this year and played by Regan Aliyah. Amy Rardin, the head writer of Echo, was set to helm the series.
The Nova series, which is one the project Marvel had confirmed was in development, would have been set following the unseen attack by Thanos to take the Power Stone, which decimated the Nova Corps. The show would focus on Richard Rider, the first Nova from the comics, as he worked to rebuild the Nova Corps in the face of a new threat. Glenn Close and John C. Reiley were slated to reprise their roles from the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Former Criminal Minds executive producer Ed Bernero was set to direct.
Finally, Terror, Inc. would have been a true horror series, following the Marvel anti-hero Terror who gains the power of others by grafting their limbs onto his body. It sounds absolutely horrid and unlike anything else we’ve seen in the MCU, but that’s what makes it exciting. Peter Cameron, who wrote for multiple Marvel projects, including Werewolf by Night, was attached to this one.
The fact that the wheels have stopped turning on these shows right now doesn't mean they are completely dead in the water. It's being reported that development could be picked up again in the future. I certainly hope it is because all three shows sound like they could have been great.
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