The "superhero fatigue" debate tends to reignite every time a major comic book movie underperforms... and quietens down again whenever something like Deadpool and Wolverine comes along and slices up the box office.
To be fair, it's hard to argue with the notion that cinemagoers do appear to be growing tired with the usual comic book movie formula, and Marvel and DC Comics-based films are not as successful, in general, as they once were. This has extended to the small screen, which Marvel Studios recently acknowledged by committing to a "quality over quantity" approach to both their cinematic and Disney+ output.
The latest D+ MCU show, Agatha All Along, is right around the corner, and it wouldn't be unfair to point out that anticipation is... not exactly through the roof. Is showrunner Jac Schaeffer at all concerned that viewers simply won't tune in?
While chatting to Total Film, the writer/director explained why she's not "rattled" by the superhero fatigue conversation.
"There's so much conversation and rhetoric about Marvel. I follow it because I'm part of that world but everything ebbs and flows, like it’s one big pendulum, so it doesn't rattle me or freak me out. I don't know if it's there or not."
"I think it speaks to that audiences are always craving originality," she went on. "You know, every story is the same story. We're all kind of doing the same thing. But what is the fresh filter we can put on something? What is the POV that we can center that hasn't been centered before? And that's what I think is different about our show. I think it's a group of characters that normally don't get the spotlight, but they do in this show."
What do you make of Schaeffer's comments? Do you plan on tuning in for Agatha All Along?
The new series focuses on Kathryn Hahn’s character, Agatha Harkness, from the acclaimed Marvel Studios’ series WandaVision, as she sets off on a dangerous, mysterious adventure filled with trials and tribulations. Showrunner Jac Schaeffer, who was the creative force behind WandaVision, directs the pilot episode.
"In Agatha All Along, the infamous Agatha Harkness finds herself down and out of power after a suspicious goth Teen helps break her free from a distorted spell. Her interest is piqued when he begs her to take him on the legendary Witches’ Road, a magical gauntlet of trials that, if survived, rewards a witch with what they’re missing. Together, Agatha and this mysterious Teen pull together a desperate coven, and set off down, down, down The Road…"
In addition to Kathryn Hahn, Agatha All Along stars Joe Locke, Sasheer Zamata, Ali Ahn, Maria Dizzia, Paul Adelstein, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Okwui Okpokwasili, with Debra Jo Rupp, with Patti LuPone, and Aubrey Plaza. The executive producers are Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Mary Livanos and Jac Schaeffer. The directors for the series include Jac Schaeffer, Rachel Goldberg and Gandja Montiero.
Marvel Television’s Agatha All Along premieres September 18 at 6:00 p.m. PT/9:00 p.m. ET, with the first two episodes, exclusively on Disney+.