From Disney
Marvel Studios presents “WandaVision,” a blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff and Vision—two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives—begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems. “‘WandaVision’ will be the very first Marvel Studios series on Disney+,” says Kevin Feige, president, Marvel Studios and chief creative officer, Marvel. “Wanda and Vision are two of our most powerful and complex heroes, and this series is a perfect expansion point for MCU storytelling.”
The series not only marks the first Marvel Studios’ Disney+ series, it is its first journey into the world of sitcoms—with an MCU twist. “It’s a mash-up of classic sitcoms and large-scale Marvel action,” says Matt Shakman, who directs all nine episodes. “I think it’s really lovely that the first streaming show from Marvel Studios—producer of huge blockbuster films—is really a love letter to the history of television.”
According to head writer Jac Schaeffer, “WandaVision” is funny, mysterious and action packed. “It picks up shortly after ‘Avengers: Endgame,’” she says. “Marvel fans have never seen Wanda and Vision in this way before. Their storyline has been so romantic and tragic—fans have really latched onto it. But really, it’s been precious little screen time, and it’s all been very fraught. In this show, we get to see them in a domestic light, and it gets to breathe. It’s really beautiful.
“In the first episode we meet Wanda and Vision after they’ve just been married,” continues Schaeffer. “They’re driving into this new town with ‘just married’ on the back of their cute little car. It’s 1950s, black and white, they’re absolutely adorable. They’re madly in love, and there is not a hint of the Avengers or the larger MCU. We see them going about their day, making breakfast. She’s a witch, he’s synthezoid. She can dry dishes in the air. He can change density and walk through things.”
Says Shakman, “Wanda and Vision are just starting their married life together in this new town, and they're meeting their neighbors. Vision's starting to work at his new job while Wanda navigates life at home. They're concerned about hiding their powers from their new friends and neighbors, and when they're pushed for more information about where they came from, they're stumped. That's when we start to realize that things are not quite what they seem.”
With nine episodes, the series was created much like a motion picture would be—but more extensive, allowing first-of-its-kind exploration of the relationship between Wanda and Vision. Says co-executive producer Mary Livanos, “Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany have the opportunity to flex different muscles over the course of this series that usually an actor wouldn’t get to do within the scope of a single project.”
Olsen, who has portrayed Wanda since the character’s post-credits debut in Marvel Studios’ 2014 feature film “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” returns to her signature role—taking it in a curious new direction. “Paul and I get to discover at a much deeper level who these characters are,” she says. “Wanda and Vision have always had an unspoken and inherent connection since ‘Ultron.’ “The infinity stone is such a huge part of their intrinsic connection and understanding of one another. I think just like any great love story, there is a strong energy that attracts both of them to one another. In ‘WandaVision,’ we watch them experience a domesticated lifestyle for the first time, or as domesticated as possible for them. We watch them experience the joys and complications of parenting, while also overcoming secrecy and distrust, but always coming together in the end with the common bond, respect and unconditional love for one another.”
Bettany, whose voice made his debut in the MCU as J.A.R.V.I.S. in “Iron Man,” first appeared on screen as Vision in “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” The actor says he first heard about “WandaVision” during a visit to Marvel Studios. “I went in, and much to my surprise, they pitched this idea for a show that is an homage to American sitcoms,” he says. “It’s a beautiful little puzzle box that you begin to open. As mad and chaotic as the trailer looks, everything has a reason. There are layers upon layers.”
Marvel Studios’ foray into the world of the sitcom celebrates the genre in a big way. “The story imagines Wanda and Vision in a 1950s sitcom—when the show opens, that’s presented without explanation,” says head writer Jac Schaeffer, who also contributed to the story of Marvel Studios’ upcoming “Black Widow.” “We see them move thorough the various eras of sitcoms as the series progresses.”
Director Matt Shakman, Primetime Emmy® nominee for his work on “The Great,” came to the production with a unique background, having starred in shows like “Just the Ten of Us” and “Webster” as a child. “It was a unique challenge for me because I did spend my entire childhood as an actor around sitcoms,” he says. “I grew up on sitcom stages and backlots, and so this was a real trip down memory lane.”
The classic-sitcom approach offered exciting opportunities for humor and levity, but filmmakers were very serious about getting the genre right. Says Shakman, “It was really important to us from the get-go that we weren't parodying sitcoms. We studied tone and style from era to era. We wanted to make sure the actors were really fluent in all of these different styles. So, we had a sitcom bootcamp with the cast before we began. We watched old episodes and we tried on different styles to figure out the physicality and the sound for each era.”
According to Elizabeth Olsen, there was a lot to learn. “Matt led us through a sitcom crash course,” she says. “We watched episodes from the specific shows we wanted to reference in each decade. And as I would any period piece, I worked on the vocal changes as well as the physical manners of the periods. There is also a really amazing arc in sitcoms throughout the decades that is a tug-o-war between earnestness and cynicism. I loved how Jac Schaeffer used these tonal shifts from decade to decade to directly affect Wanda's emotional journey.”
Cast and crew studied classic sitcoms from the 1950s through the 2000s. “We wanted to make sure that what we were creating was absolutely faithful to the original touchstone shows,” says Shakman. “To that end, we watched lots of episodes, read books about the making of those shows, and interviewed, whenever possible, people who had actually worked on those shows.
“I went to lunch with the great Dick Van Dyke and Kevin Feige before we started production on ‘WandaVision,’” Shakman continues. “That was a lovely experience and a great way to hear how they approached production on his show, which was inspiration for our first episode.”
To achieve the desired authenticity, filmmakers decided to shoot the first episode in front of a live studio audience. The effort not only conjured genuine laughter, harkening back to classic sitcoms, it affected the performances. Says Shakman, “It's amazing when you put actors in front of a live audience, how much that material jumps when the adrenaline, the excitement, the communication is happening between the actor and the audience. It elevates the material, and it becomes much more like a play. That was a huge part of what we captured in episode one—that spark, that kind of lightening in a bottle.”
Paul Bettany most definitely felt that spark. “You can't help yourself when there are people there—you want them to hear it and laugh at it. It makes it all a little bigger. And that, I think, captured the style of the ’50s. It was a brilliant decision.
“I was really nervous,” Bettany continues. “We rehearsed it very thoroughly, and every member of the crew was dressed in [1950s] costumes. Everybody really got into the spirit of it. And then the audience came in, and we just went for it. We jumped into the abyss. I just loved it. I should've been on a sitcom all these years.”
As the episodes progress, so do the sitcom eras, which required a fresh approach with each episode—including production design, costumes, cinematography and performances. “There aren't many opportunities as an actor to explore as many genres and tones as we do in this series,” says Olsen. “It was as much of a challenge as it was a joy. This Marvel story could only ever be told through the medium of television and that's what makes it such a special piece of the MCU.
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