At this stage in the game, one really can't blame Marvel Studios being confident nearly to the point of cockiness. Over the last six years they have worked to become the biggest name in comic book adaptations, with each of their films not only banking huge numbers at the box office but also scoring big with critics. So even though their first television experiment, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has seen its ratings dip steadily since its premiere last fall, the studio is still so confident in their abilities and material that their second effort could move forward without even having to go through the pilot phase.
Deadline is reporting that it's possible Marvel and ABC could be moving full steam ahead with the Agent Carter show that was revealed to be in the works last September, and the project would likely skip the pilot stage and go straight to series. One of the key things that is allowing them to do this is Agent Carter short film - a.k.a. Marvel One-Shot - that was made specifically for the home video release of Iron Man 3 last year. The short was proof enough that the concept behind the show could work, with Hayley Atwell serving as a strong lead character. Sadly the full thing isn't available anywhere on the internet for free legally, but you can watch two clips below:
We first learned back in January that Marvel was moving forward with the Agent Carter project and that Reaper creators Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas were hired as showrunners. While nothing has really been made official yet, the presumption is that the show will take place in the mid to late 1940s and follow the titular heroine as she helps build S.H.I.E.L.D. into one of the greatest clandestine organizations the world has ever seen. Atwell is definitely on board to star, but it will be interesting to see how Marvel will fill out the rest of the cast. I find myself wondering if there's any way they could convince Dominic Cooper to transfer his skills to the small screen for a while and reprise his Captain America: The First Avenger role as Howard Stark. He should at least appear in a couple of episodes, right?
In addition to Agent Carter likely getting a first season, Deadline also adds that there is a good chance Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will be picked up for a second. What's more, the new show may serve "as a bridge between the fall and spring portions of S.H.I.E.L.D." Exactly what that means at this point is a bit unclear.
This strategy for Agent Carter really does make a whole lot of sense and I'm very happy that things are working out like they are. When making a pilot there is an incredible amount of pressure to jam it full of every little bit of information that will hopefully sell the show. If Agent Carter goes straight to the series phase, then that takes a bunch of the pressure off and the series can grow more naturally. This is a great sign for the show, and I look forward to watching it develop further.
