As we know, Marvel Television's next Disney+ series, Wonder Man, is shaping up to be a very different type of MCU project, with the recent teasers confirming that the show will at least partially serve as a Hollywood satire in the same vein as Apple TV+'s The Studio, with a sprinkle of "superhero fatigue" commentary thrown in for good measure.
The series will introduce Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) as a struggling actor who pursues the role of Wonder Man in a big-budget reboot of a classic movie. The twist? Williams has some incredibly powerful abilities of his own - he's just not particularly interested in using them.
"We’re doing something that, tonally, feels much different than really any other Marvel show, or any other films,” Abdul-Mateen tells Empire. “We’re doing something that’s fresh, and a bit tongue-in-cheek, a bit self-aware.”
“The show is self-aware, without looking directly into the camera,” the Watchmen actor adds. “There’ll be commentary about superhero fatigue and things like that, but to me, it’s just dressing. That’s not really the aim of the show. The focus of the show is about an actor’s journey. It’s about a journey of friendship.”
Williams will be joined by a familiar face, with Sir Ben Kingsley reprising the role of Trevor Slattery, the actor who posed as The Mandarin in Iron Man 3 before returning in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
You can check out a new image featuring the pair HERE.
Aspiring Hollywood actor Simon Williams is struggling to get his career off the ground. During a chance meeting with Trevor Slattery, an actor whose biggest roles may be well behind him, Simon learns legendary director Von Kovak is remaking the superhero film “Wonder Man”. These two actors at opposite ends of their careers doggedly pursue life-changing roles in this film as audiences get a peek behind the curtain of the entertainment industry.
Along with Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams, Wonder Man will star Demetrius Grosse as Simon's brother Eric Williams, aka the Grim Reaper, along with Sir Ben Kingsley as the returning Trevor Slattery. Byron Bowers is also on board in an undisclosed role. We have heard that Ed Harris, Bob Odenkirk, and Courtney Cox have been enlisted for cameos, but only Harris has been confirmed (he'll play Simon's agent Neal Saroyan).
Stella Meghie (The Photograph) had been tapped to direct multiple episodes. Destin Daniel Cretton - who we now know will also helm Spider-Man: Brand New Day - will reportedly direct the first two episodes and is on board as a writer along with Brooklyn Nine-Nine, 30 Rock, and Community scribe Andrew Guest, who will also serve as showrunner.