Entertainment Weekly has shared a tonne of new details about WandaVision, confirming that it's going to be a "six-hour series." That more than likely means it will run for a total of six episodes, but Marvel Studios should still have plenty of time to tell the story of Scarlet Witch and The Vision.
As expected, the show is set after the events of Avengers: Endgame, with the first episode taking place in a campy, 1950s-inspired sitcom setting. As past rumours have indicated, the episode was actually filmed in front of a live studio audience (who all, understandably, signed strict NDAs).
"It’s really incredible to be able to tell a long-form story the way the comics did," Mary Livanos as co-executive producer tells the magazine. "In a sense, [a TV show] is a multi-issue comic-book run, which is something that, from the Marvel development side, we totally do understand."
Teyonah Parris, who plays Monica Rambeau, echoed this, adding: "I was like, ‘Oh, I thought we were doing a little show,’ but no, it’s six Marvel movies packed into what they’re presenting as a sitcom."
Unfortunately, there are few specifics revealed about where WandaVision will take these characters, but it doesn't necessarily sound like Wanda is the creator of the new reality she and The Vision find themselves in; instead, the publication hints that it will take some time for them to realise all is not right.
Check out some newly released stills from WandaVision by clicking through the gallery below:
"It was insanity," Elizabeth Olsen says of shooting in front of a live studio audience for some episodes of the Disney+ TV series. "There was something very meta for my own life because I would visit those tapings as a kid, where my sisters were working [on Full House]."
Olsen's co-star, Paul Bettany, echoes those thoughts. "We were all so high by the end of it, we wanted to keep on running the show. Maybe take it out on tour or something. WandaVision on ice."
There's a good reason WandaVision enlisted real people to watch these sitcom scenes, though, with head writer Jac Schaeffer (Black Widow) explaining: "The show is a love letter to the golden age of television. We’re paying tribute and honoring all of these incredible shows and people who came before us, [but] we’re also trying to blaze new territory."
Described only as a "nosy neighbour," Kathryn Hahn had this to say about joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in WandaVision. "I’ve always loved that gasp of human magic that they have. It’s not like I had never done anything like this, but especially since becoming a mom, I have always been interested in those jolts of adrenaline and humanity."
While WandaVision will tie into the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe (could the Scarlet Witch be expecting Young Avengers members Speed and Wiccan here?), Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige wants to assure fans that the series is still something they'll find easy to enjoy.
"If you haven’t seen any of them and just want to step into this weird thing because you love The Dick Van Dyke Show, it’s going to work," he says. "But if you’ve been tracking the 23 movies we’ve made and following along the stories into Phase 4, there’ll be a wealth of rewards waiting for you as it all unfolds."
Unfortunately, a premiere date still hasn't been revealed, but this cover story is a good sign that the show is coming soon! With any luck, Marvel Studios will share some official news sometime this week...