Cyrus Langhorne
It looks like the days of Marvel and Netflix making magic together are long gone. Marvel TV Chief Jeph Loeb recently talked about the jaw-dropping decision to part ways with the streaming giant - ultimately bidding farewell to popular series including "Luke Cage," "Jessica Jones" and "Daredevil."
In a Deadline interview, Loeb admitted Netflix ultimately had the upper-hand in the sudden 2018 multi-series cancellations.
“The hardest part was while the situation at Netflix of which I really can’t go into other than to say that we were blindsided and the things that were to come weren’t finished yet,” Loeb said referring to Marvel’s rollout of new series now heading to Disney Plus and Hulu. “We weren’t ready to announce that, so there was this space in between it, so it did look like maybe we were going to go out Then suddenly, we were arising again like the Phoenix.” (Deadline)
Loeb also talked about what goes into putting out signature Marvel TV projects.
“When we start thinking about our shows, it’s how do we do better than we did the last time. That’s partially why I could not be prouder of the people who work here because they all have that same ethic. We will never be a factory. We don’t know how to be a factory. There is no Marvel prototype. … That’s why going back to the beginning, that’s why we can do a Legion, a Daredevil, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., a Ghost Rider. I don’t know any kind of corporation that makes a product that could do that kind of thing unless it’s at its core a storytelling machine. We have all different kinds of voices and genders and people who want to tell stories through the Marvel library, and when that happens, you get Marvel. We believe that anyone can be a hero and that that enables you to tell stories about every single person on this planet, that’s our real secret. (Deadline)
Barring any major setbacks, Marvel is expected to premiere a couple new series on streaming giant Hulu in 2020.
Both Ghost Rider and Helstrom are set to appear at Hulu sometime next year, with Loeb promising that more new show announcements are on the way. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. alum Gabriel Luna will reprise a character he’s already familiar with as Robbie Reyes in the title role, with Ingrid Escajeda (Justified, Empire, Sneaky Pete) serving as showrunner and executive producer. Casting details for Helstrom are still light, but S.H.I.E.L.D. co-executive producer Paul Zbyszewski will be the series’ showrunner. (SYFY)
Last year, Rolling Stone entertainment writer Alan Sepinwall suggested now-terminated Marvel shows like “Luke Cage” and “Jessica Jones” had little chance of resurrecting on the upcoming Disney Plus service.
