WandaVision


WandaVision is an upcoming American web television miniseries created for Disney+ by Jac Schaeffer, based on the Marvel Comics characters Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Vision. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. The events of the series take place after the 2019 film . The series is produced by Marvel Studios, with Schaeffer serving as head writer and Matt Shakman directing.
Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany reprise their roles as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Vision, respectively, from the film series. Teyonah Parris, Kat Dennings, Randall Park, and Kathryn Hahn also star. By September 2018, Marvel Studios was developing a number of limited series for Disney+, centered on supporting characters from the MCU films such as Maximoff and Vision, with Olsen and Bettany expected to return. Schaeffer was hired in January 2019, the series was officially announced that April, and Shakman joined in August. Filming began in Atlanta, Georgia in November 2019. In March 2020, production was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was expected to resume that July in Los Angeles.
WandaVision is scheduled to premiere in December 2020, and will consist of six episodes. It will be part of of the MCU.

Synopsis

Set after the events of , Wanda Maximoff and Vision begin to suspect things are not as they seem as the two live their ideal suburban life.

Cast and characters

An Avenger who can harness magic and engage in telepathy and telekinesis. Olsen stated that the series would explain how and why Wanda becomes known as the Scarlet Witch, as she had not been called that in previous MCU appearances.
An android and Avenger created using the artificial intelligence J.A.R.V.I.S., Ultron and the Mind Stone. Vision is brought back for the series after his death in '.

Production

Development

By September 2018, Marvel Studios was developing several limited series for its parent company Disney's streaming service, Disney+, to be centered on supporting characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe films who had not starred in their own films, such as Scarlet Witch. Actors who portrayed the characters in the films were expected to reprise their roles for the limited series, including Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch. The series were expected to be six to eight episodes each, have a "hefty rivaling those of a major studio production", and be produced by Marvel Studios rather than Marvel Television, who produced previous television series in the MCU. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige was believed to be taking a "hands-on role" in each series' development, focusing on "continuity of story" with the films and "handling" the actors who would be reprising their roles from the films. By the end of October, Paul Bettany's Vision was expected to play a significant role in the series, which would focus on the relationship between Scarlet Witch and Vision. In the following months, the titles Vision and the Scarlet Witch and The Vision and Scarlet Witch were both reported.
Jac Schaeffer was hired as head writer of the series in January 2019 after previously working as a writer on the films Captain Marvel and Black Widow for Marvel Studios. Schaeffer was set to write the pilot episode and executive produce the series. That April, Disney and Marvel officially announced the series with the title WandaVision. Later in the month, Olsen indicated parts of the series would be set in the 1950s. In August, Matt Shakman was hired to direct the miniseries, which consists of six episodes. Budgets for each episode were reported to be as much as $25 million. At Disney's biennial convention D23, Feige described the series as part "classic sitcom", part "Marvel epic", and showed a teaser for the series that combined footage from previous MCU films featuring Maximoff and Vision with images from The Dick Van Dyke Show and Father Knows Best. Bettany called the series "super avant-garde and weird", while Olsen added that there were "plenty of comic books that support" the characters appearing in a sitcom setting. Olsen also indicated that there were ongoing discussions regarding whether the series would use a laugh track.

Writing

The series takes place after , and its events tie-into the film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which includes Maximoff. Schaeffer hired eight writers for the series' writers room, including four women and several people of color because of her belief that "stories are better the more perspectives you have". Megan McDonnell served as a staff writer on the series, before being promoted to story editor. Comparing her work on the series to the film Black Widow, Schaeffer said WandaVision would be "the polar opposite" to the film's style of aggressive, visceral action. Comic book writer Tom King indicated in October 2019 that his run on The Vision would be an inspiration for WandaVision. In December 2019, Feige described the series as an opportunity to tell the story of Maximoff and Vision, show more of what Wanda can do, further explore who Vision is, and introduce the comic book name "Scarlet Witch" to the MCU "in ways that are entirely fun, entirely funny, somewhat scary, and will have repercussions for the entire future of Phase Four of the MCU".

Casting

With the official announcement of the series in April 2019 came confirmation that Olsen and Bettany would reprise their roles of Maximoff and Vision, respectively, in the series. Teyonah Parris was announced as cast in the role of Monica Rambeau in July 2019; the character was introduced to the MCU as a child in Captain Marvel, which was set in 1995. The next month, Kat Dennings and Randall Park were set to reprise their MCU film roles as Darcy Lewis and Jimmy Woo, respectively, while Kathryn Hahn was also cast. Park joined the series following a general meeting with Marvel to discuss Woo's future in the MCU after his introduction in Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Filming

Filming began in early November 2019, at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, with Shakman directing. The series is filmed under the working title Big Red, with Jess Hall serving as cinematographer. Filming was previously reported to begin on September 21 in Los Angeles, California. Location shooting took place in the Atlanta metropolitan area throughout the months of December 2019 and February 2020. A filming wrap party for the series occurred on March 1, but production for the series was still underway on March 14 when it was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming was expected to resume in Los Angeles in July 2020.

Music

In January 2020, Christophe Beck announced he would compose for the series; he previously wrote the scores for Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Marketing

The series was promoted as part of Expanding the Universe, a Marvel Studios special that debuted on Disney+ on November 12, 2019. In December, Feige debuted the first image from the series at Comic Con Experience. Vinnie Mancuso of Collider found the image to be "very ", highlighting the "old-school black and white" coloring. A commercial for the series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki was shown during Super Bowl LIV. Inverses Dais Johnston noted that the clips shown visually referenced past sitcoms spanning different eras, including The Dick Van Dyke Show, Leave It to Beaver, Bewitched, The Brady Bunch, Roseanne, and Full House. Johnston thought the series would be "a must-see not only for Marvel fans but also for anyone looking for a hit of nostalgia: the era-spanning framework means anyone can relive the shows of their childhood in this age of streaming." Julia Alexander of The Verge said the footage "wasn't much" but offered "enough glimpses to tease fans". Haleigh Foutch at Collider felt of all the Super Bowl commercials, Marvel's teasers "stole the whole show" and had "a lot to get excited about". Foutch said the WandaVision footage was "the most exciting", saying it was "utterly strange and unpredictable looking".

Release

WandaVision is expected to debut in December 2020 on Disney+, and will consist of six episodes to be released weekly. The series was originally set to be released in early 2021. WandaVision will be part of of the MCU.