It’s officially lights, camera, action time for Marvel‘s Wonder Man series. Marvel released the first trailer for the much-anticipated and very different new series, which further emphasizes the focus on the entertainment industry and the art of superhero movie-making. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is playing stuntman and actor-turned-hero Simon Williams, who is trying to land his big break in a role that feels made for him — the in-universe cinematic reboot of Wonder Man. However, the question the new teaser addresses is whether he’s the guy the director and the studio are looking for to be their leading man. The show begins on Disney+ this December.
The footage goes completely meta from the very beginning, opening on a video interview on an entertainment site with legendary and reclusive director Von Kovak for his first-ever franchise effort. Immediately, Kovak addresses a common question viewers have leveled at the MCU and the genre as a whole — “Why one more superhero film?” As he comments on superhero fatigue and shares how his vision for a new Wonder Man film is going to shake things up with its storytelling, footage of the old in-universe Wonder Man movies is shown, complete with campy effects that still manage to fill viewers with, well, wonder. When asked if he’s given any thought about casting, the camera turns back to Simon, who has been watching the entire thing with intensity, envisioning his cinematic future.
Also featured in the Wonder Man teaser are a few behind-the-scenes flashes of the in-universe reboot. The show appears to take viewers into the ins and outs of crafting a big-budget superhero flick, with massive sets, an expansive crew, and a whole line-up of hopeful actors looking to land a role. Two MCU alums can be seen taking part in the action as well, including Ben Kingsley‘s actor Trevor Slattery, who can be seen in the make-up chair getting ready for a day of shooting, as well as Arian Moayed‘s Agent Cleary, previously seen in Ms. Marvel and Spider-Man: No Way Home. Also among the cast are Demetrius Grosse as Simon’s brother Eric/Grim Reaper and Ed Harris as Simon’s big-shot agent, Neil Saroyan.
‘Wonder Man’ Has Gotten No Shortage of Positive Buzz
At the helm of the real Wonder Man is Daniel Destin Cretton, who’s also currently directing Tom Holland‘s web-slinging return in Spider-Man: Brand New Day coming next year. He created the series with Andrew Guest operating as head writer for the eight-episode run. Their partnership made a fan of Marvel‘s Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation, Brad Winderbaum, who raved about the series in an interview with Collider‘s Steve Weintraub earlier this year. He referred to it as a “new flavor” of MCU storytelling and went as far as declaring it “the best show no one’s ever seen.” Furthermore, Winderbaum billed it as a love letter to the movie-making process, from the creative minds behind the camera to the acting on-screen and everything in between that makes the magic happen.
Wonder Man is set to arrive on Disney+ this December. Check out the new teaser in the player above.
via Collider