Tom Hiddleston’s Loki and Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch could lead their own live-action TV shows on Disney’s upcoming streaming service, a new report has suggested. With huge budgets, and Marvel Cinematic Universe stars in the leading roles, this could be a massive leap forward for superhero TV.
The news comes from Variety, with the trade mag claiming that Disney is in “early development on an ambitious plan for a number of limited series centered on popular characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”
These plans, should they come to fruition, would purportedly see Hiddleston and Olsen reprising their MCU roles to lead their own shows on Disney’s yet-to-be-unveiled streaming service. These shows would have 6-to-8 episodes apiece and very hefty budgets, “rivaling those of major studio productions.”
Certainly, this sounds like an exciting way to expand the MCU, giving smaller characters – who might never get their own big screen movies – a chance to shine in their own stories. The limited series structure is also a potent arena for pacey storytelling, which is something that often lacks in the ABC and Netflix Marvel series.
In an interesting behind-the-scenes change, these MCU spinoff limited series would apparently be made by the Marvel Studios film team, without the involvement of the Marvel Television wing of the company.
Given that Marvel Television oversaw the production of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, Cloak And Dagger, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Punisher and The Defenders, this new selection of shows – should they come to pass – would mark a major change in tact for Disney’s Marvel-based TV output.
The MCU films’ overseer, Kevin Feige, is believed to be taking a hands-on role in developing these limited series for the Disney streaming service. Both Marvel and Disney declined to comment on Variety’s article, though, meaning we’re a bit unclear on how much truth there is in this and what the timeframe might be on these projects coming to fruition.
As we hear more, we’ll be sure to let you know…