Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany Talk WandaVision in EW
The Marvel Cinematic Universe Is About to Get Weird, and It All Begins With WandaVision
If you've felt intense withdrawal from the lack of Marvel content due to production delays and release pushbacks, here's something to bring some colour into your life: WandaVision is coming. While we still don't have a set release date for the Marvel Studios-produced series (though rumours say we're looking at a holiday premiere), we do know a little bit more about the mysterious show, thanks to its Entertainment Weekly cover story!
Initially, the Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan-led series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was meant to lead the charge of Marvel series on Disney+, but shutdowns due to COVID-19 pushed back production and put WandaVision at the time of the lineup. And thanks to the dizzying trailer that gives fans their first proper look at the six-episode limited series, it's safe to say we're excited for what head writer Jac Schaeffer described to EW as "a love letter to the golden age of television."
WandaVision's official tagline states that the show takes place after the events of Avengers: Endgame and follows Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda and Paul Bettany's Vision as they move into the idyllic town of Westview. Well, something is rotten in the state of Denmark because we all know Vision "died" in Avengers: Infinity War, which means something strange is afoot. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige admitted that the idea for WandaVision was inspired by his growing up with Nick at Nite and love for watching old sitcoms because he "couldn't take the news anymore."
"You get to just focus on her and not how she felt through everyone else's story lines."
Olsen revealed that the opportunity to play Wanda for an entire TV season was a boon for her as well, noting that the series allows viewers to dig into Wanda's past and the full capabilities of her telekinetic powers, which the films have only ever hinted at. "You get to just focus on her and not how she felt through everyone else's story lines," she explained. "I already felt like I had ownership of her because Marvel always encourages you to be part of the process. But even more so now, I feel I have a really strong sense of ownership. If anyone wanted to ask me a question about the future or just a question about what she would think, I feel like this time has provided that."
According to EW, what begins as a classic tale of a married witch and android living in the idyllic town, quickly takes a turn for the bizarre. As the newlyweds cycle through the decades and those classic sitcom tropes, they realise their black-and-white life may not be as picture-perfect as it appears. Cue the Pleasantville callbacks! But considering that WandaVision is said to tie directly to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — in which Olsen will costar Benedict Cumberbatch — it's safe to say things are going to get a lot whackier than we can imagine.
WandaVision will also feature a bevy of familiar Marvel faces and a few new ones. Kat Dennings and Randall Park will reprise their roles as Darcy Lewis and Jimmy Woo from Thor and Ant-Man and the Wasp, respectively. Kathryn Hahn and Teyonah Parris also star, and considering what we've seen so far, their roles are much bigger than they seem. Even EW couldn't get any of the cast or crew to give a hint about their stories in the show! But Parris, who plays the adult version of Monica Rambeau from Captain Marvel, promises that fans have a lot coming for them when WandaVision eventually premieres.
"I was like, 'Oh, I thought we were doing a little show,'" she told EW. "But no, it's six Marvel movies packed into what they're presenting as a sitcom." We are so ready for that!
