| Marvel's Most Wanted | |
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| Directed by | Billy Gierhart |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
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| Network | ABC |
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Marvel's Most Wanted is an unaired Americantelevision pilot created byJeffrey Bell andPaul Zbyszewski forABC, based on theMarvel Comics charactersBobbi Morse andLance Hunter. It is set in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and acknowledges the continuity ofthe franchise's films andother television series. A spin-off fromAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the pilot was written by Bell and Zbyszewski, and directed byBilly Gierhart.
The pilot revolves around the characters ofBobbi Morse andLance Hunter, ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and ex-spouses on the run, withAdrianne Palicki andNick Blood reprising their respective roles of Morse and Hunter fromAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.Delroy Lindo,Fernanda Andrade, andOded Fehr also starred in the pilot. A television series featuring Morse entered development forABC Family in July 2011, but never materialized. The character subsequently appeared in thesecond season ofAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D. along with Hunter, and plans for a spin-off centered on the duo, with Palicki and Blood attached, began in April 2015. The series would have been based on storylines occurring at the end of that second season, but ABC passed on the project.
In August 2015, the series was reinvented asMarvel's Most Wanted and received a pilot order from ABC. The cast was filled out in early 2016, and production was completed by late March. The episode was co-produced byABC Studios andMarvel Television. In May 2016, ABC announced that it would not pick up the pilot to series, and would look to develop other series with Marvel instead.
Ex-spies and ex-spousesBobbi Morse andLance Hunter are on the run trying to uncover a conspiracy against them. With no help fromS.H.I.E.L.D., the peacekeeping and spy agency that previously employed them, they enter into an uneasy partnership with rogue adventurerDominic Fortune and his niece Christina Santos.[1][2]
At the 2011San Diego Comic-Con, head ofMarvel TelevisionJeph Loeb announced the seriesMockingbird was in development atABC Family. The series, which was described as "Alias meetsFelicity", would featureBobbi Morse as a freshman science major at "a prestigious university in theSilicon Valley... [until h]er life changes when she is recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. and is forced to become a student by day and a super spy by night."[11] By March 2012,Mockingbird was still in development, with Loeb saying, "as with anything that you're doing, particularly when you're starting up a brand new entity [like Marvel Television], things take time and we want to make sure we get it right."[12]
At the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con, Morse was revealed to be appearing in thesecond season ofAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D., whileNick Blood was announced as cast in the role ofLance Hunter,[5] a series regular for the season.[13] In August 2014,Adrianne Palicki was cast as Morse in a guest role,[14] and later promoted to series regular with the season two episode "Aftershocks".[15][3] When joiningAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D., it was discussed with Palicki that her character would appear in theMarvel Cinematic Universe films or a spin-off series.[16] By April 2015, Marvel was developing a spin-off series focused on those characters withAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D. showrunnerJeffrey Bell and writerPaul Zbyszewski. The spin-off would be based on storylines occurring at the end of the second season ofAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and would receive its own pilot rather than abackdoor pilot.[17] Palicki and Blood were in final discussions to headline the potential new series,[18] butABC passed on the project by May 7, 2015, when they announced their series renewals, cancellations, and pickups.[19] ABC entertainment presidentPaul Lee explained, "We thought the right thing now is to leave [Palicki and Blood] onS.H.I.E.L.D., becauseS.H.I.E.L.D. is so strong on [sic] the moment", though he did not rule out returning to the spin-off in the future.[20]
Blood and Palicki returned as principal cast members for thethird season ofAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.[21] In August 2015, the spin-off series received new life, reworked asMarvel's Most Wanted and given a pilot order.[22] Bell and Zbyszewski were again developing the series, writing the pilot and executive producing. The pair were set to serve as showrunners for the series, if it was picked up.[23] Loeb and Jim Chory were also attached as executive producers.[23][1] The series would still focus on Morse and Hunter, with Palicki and Blood both attached, and was described as "a new take focusing on the same duo and their continuing adventures."[22] In January 2016, Lee stated that the pilot was "absolutely" moving forward, praising the script and saying production would begin "in the next few months."[24] In theAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode "Parting Shot", the two characters were written off that series, having them leave anddisavow S.H.I.E.L.D. Bell explained that Palicki and Blood had to leave to film the pilot, and "it didn't make sense" to have the story explain their absence for several episodes just to have the pair leave again soon after to begin production on the rest ofMarvel's Most Wanted if it was picked up to series.[25]
WithS.H.I.E.L.D., there's more of a clear line between the good guys and the bad guys and between protocol and going off grid. Whereas in theMost Wanted world, it's all shades of gray and judgment calls have to be made.
Bell comparedMarvel's Most Wanted to theBuffy the Vampire Slayer spin-offAngel, saying the series would be more intimate thanAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D. because at the heart of the series would be the question, "What's the metaphor of the relationship that's going to dramatize over the course of the episode versus the larger machinations of the world that S.H.I.E.L.D. [is] in?"[25] Palicki said the pilot is less based in Marvel mythology and more focused on the two characters, whose dynamic she compared toMr. and Mrs. Smith. Blood added, "It's exploring how you make a relationship work with the backdrop of all this crazy stuff that goes on" in their world.[4]
Bell and Zbyszewski worked together on Morse and Hunter's storyline for the third season ofAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D., preparing them to move over to the spin-off,[26] with Bell explaining that it would set upMarvel's Most Wanted by defining exactly who the characters are, such as Hunter and his lack of loyalty to S.H.I.E.L.D. and to ideologies—"nothing specific about the show, it's just who Hunter is."[27] Blood noted that Hunter is "willing to ignore the rules and regulations to get the right thing done. Sometimes, Bobbi needs that kick up the backside to send her in that direction. By the same token, Hunter needs Bobbi's rationale sometimes to make sure he doesn't get in trouble again."[28] Bell added that for Hunter, "laws are kind of suggestions, and if he's with them he'll follow them, and he's always been much more a loyalist to the guy in the trenches than to any ideology".[27] Palicki remarked that the differences in the character's views and beliefs would be "a big through line throughout the entire show", and that having Morse and Hunter work for Fortune would test both of their morals, with Hunter having "a bit more experience with that, where the line to cross is a bit fluid. It might take Bobbi a bit more to adapt to that."[4] Palicki also thought the pilot was "a little darker [and] grittier" thanAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.[29]
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In August 2015, Palicki and Blood were attached toMarvel's Most Wanted with the pilot order, reprising theirAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D. roles asBobbi Morse andLance Hunter, respectively.[23][22] In January 2016,Delroy Lindo was cast as "rogue adventurer" Dominic Fortune.[6] That March,Oded Fehr andFernanda Andrade were also cast in the pilot,[2] as a "well-known character" from the comics and Fortune's niece Christina Santos, respectively.[2] Additionally, guest stars for the pilot includeMckenna Grace as Zoe Abel,[8]Laura Allen as Olivia,[9] andDamon Dayoub.[10]
Filming on the pilot took place in early 2016,[24] withBilly Gierhart directing.[25] Production began following that of theAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode "Parting Shot", and was completed by late March.[25] William O. Hunter, who worked onMarvel's The Avengers, served as production designer,[30] withChristine Bieselin Clark as costume designer.[31]
On potential crossovers withAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Bell said in March 2016, in reference to the way Hunter and Morse were written off of that series, "We want to be clear we're telling a different type of story, and in doing so, you don't want to be telling a story where you go, "Why don't they callCoulson? He can fix this easily," because that line's been cut. Not that you can't bring them back someday or have someone from S.H.I.E.L.D. show up on this show, but it's really setting up a different [part of the] universe".[25] Blood described the situation as "they're on their own, they can make up their own rules, just turn the phones on airplane mode and ignore the calls from back home".[28]
In April 2016,Marvel's Most Wanted was seen to be "a no-brainer" for a series pick-up by industry insiders.[32] However, in early May it was said to be "cooling" and "not considered the lock it once was".[33] At that time, the producers were prepping "if-come" orders, "deals with writers that will come into effect in the event a pilot is picked [up] to series".[34] On May 12, 2016, the pilot was passed on by ABC,[35] with Lee's successorChanning Dungey explaining thatMarvel's Most Wanted "did not feel as strong as some of the other pilots that we shot. We talked about it with Marvel and we all came to an agreement that we want to figure out what the next show is that we do together, is something that we all feel is as creatively strong as it can be." However, Dungey said that ABC was open to the series being shopped to another network if Marvel found "another home" for it.[36] Loeb also acknowledged this possibility, but said that the series was designed "to do a very specific thing" alongsideS.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC.[37] In June 2018, Loeb indicated that Marvel could not release the pilot, as any potential release was controlled by ABC.[38]
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