| Marvel Studios: Assembled | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of specials | 23 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Cinematography |
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| Running time | 41–66 minutes |
| Production company | Marvel Studios |
| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | March 12, 2021 (2021-03-12) – present |
| Related | |
| Marvel Studios: Legends | |
Marvel Studios: Assembled is an Americananthology televisiondocuseries ofspecials created for the streaming serviceDisney+. Produced byMarvel Studios, each special goes behind-the-scenes of a Marvel StudiosDisney+ series orfilm, particularly those within theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), with the creatives, exploring the process of creating each series or film.
The series was first announced in February 2021.Marvel Studios: Assembled premiered on March 12, 2021, with subsequent specials releasing shortly after a Disney+ series' completion or a film's Disney+ release. 14 specials were released forPhase Four of the MCU, followed by specials releasing forPhase Five and the first season of theMarvel Studios Animation seriesX-Men '97 (2024). The special forAgatha All Along (2024) was released for free onMarvel Entertainment'sYouTube channel.Assembled received positive responses for showcasing how each series or film came together, particularly with the technical aspects and franchise connectivity.
The series goes behind-the-scenes of aMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)Disney+ series orfilm with the creatives, exploring the process of creating each series or film.[2]
Marvel Studios: Assembled was announced in February 2021 as adocumentary series oftelevision specials that would go behind-the-scenes with an "in-depth examination" of theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) television series and films in the franchise'sPhase Four slate of content. Each "making of" special follows the filmmakers and the cast and crew members during the production of each project, with exclusive on-set footage used to compile the specials in the series.Assembled was announced to premiere on March 12, 2021, starting with a special forMarvel Studios's first MCU seriesWandaVision (2021).[2]
Commentators calledAssembled a companion series to fellow Marvel Studios docuseriesMarvel Studios: Legends, which releases before a series or film to help inform viewers about relevant events to that series or film,[3][4] while Hoai-Tran Bui and Ethan Anderton of/Film, andComicBook.com's Charlie Ridgley each noted the similarities to theDisney Gallery: The Mandalorian documentary series for theDisney+Star Wars seriesThe Mandalorian.[3][5][6] Ridgley and Matt Miller atGame Informer notedAssembled allowed Marvel Studios to provide more insight on how their content is produced and answer questions audiences may have regarding them.[6][7] David Wolinsky ofGameSpot feltAssembled was a "promising follow-up" toMarvel's Behind the Mask (2021), a documentary special highlighting the inspiration behind Marvel's comic book heroes.[8]
SubsequentAssembled specials were released throughout 2021 forThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier,[9][10] thefirst season ofLoki,[11] thefirst season ofWhat If...?,[12] and the filmsBlack Widow andShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.[12][13] Specials continued to release throughout 2022 forHawkeye,Eternals,[14]Moon Knight,[15]Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,[16]Ms. Marvel,[17]Thor: Love and Thunder,[18] andShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law,[19] and a special forBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever was released in early 2023 as the final special for a Phase Four property.[20]
Specials forPhase Five of the MCU began in July 2023, with the release of a special forAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.[21] This was followed by specials forGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,Secret Invasion,[22] and thesecond season ofLoki.[23] These continued into 2024 with specials forEcho,[24]The Marvels,[25]Deadpool & Wolverine,[26] andAgatha All Along.[1] A special for the first season of the non-MCUMarvel Studios Animation seriesX-Men '97 was also released later that year.[27]
| Phase | Specials | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| Four | 14 | March 12, 2021 (2021-03-12) | February 8, 2023 (2023-02-08) | |
| Five | 9 | July 19, 2023 (2023-07-19) | TBA | |
| No. overall | No. in phase | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [b] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Making ofWandaVision " | Bradford Baruh | Meghan Leon | March 12, 2021 (2021-03-12) | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making ofWandaVision, withhead writerJac Schaeffer, series directorMatt Shakman, starsElizabeth Olsen,Paul Bettany,Debra Jo Rupp,Kathryn Hahn,Teyonah Parris,Randall Park,Kat Dennings, andEvan Peters, theme song composersRobert Lopez andKristen Anderson-Lopez, and additional creatives. Discussion includes the classic sitcoms that inspired the series, how the crew emulated the production processes of early sitcoms, and the experience of filming in front of a live studio audience for the first episode, "Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience". | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "The Making ofThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier " | Bradford Baruh | Meghan Leon | April 30, 2021 (2021-04-30) | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making ofThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, with head writerMalcolm Spellman, series directorKari Skogland, starsAnthony Mackie,Sebastian Stan,Wyatt Russell,Erin Kellyman,Don Cheadle,Daniel Brühl,Emily VanCamp,Florence Kasumba,Julia Louis-Dreyfus, andClé Bennett, executive producer Nate Moore, and additional creatives. Discussion includes the importance of exploring racism within the narrative, as well as the series' action scenes and the impact of theCOVID-19 pandemic on the production of the series. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "The Making ofLoki " | Bradford Baruh | Meghan Leon | July 21, 2021 (2021-07-21) | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making ofLoki, with head writerMichael Waldron, series directorKate Herron, starsTom Hiddleston,Gugu Mbatha-Raw,Wunmi Mosaku,Owen Wilson,Sophia Di Martino,DeObia Oparei,Richard E. Grant, andJonathan Majors, executive producer Stephen Broussard, and additional creatives. Discussion includes Hiddleston's history with the title character and the casting of other main characters as well as the design and filming of each episode. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "The Making ofBlack Widow " | Bradford Baruh | Brenton Covington | October 20, 2021 (2021-10-20) | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making ofBlack Widow with directorCate Shortland, several producers, and the cast members includingScarlett Johansson,Florence Pugh,David Harbour,Rachel Weisz,Ray Winstone, and more. Discussion includes the journey of Black Widow in the MCU. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "The Making ofWhat If...? " | Bradford Baruh | Meghan Leon | October 27, 2021 (2021-10-27) | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making ofWhat If...? with creatorA. C. Bradley, directorBryan Andrews, animatorStephan Franck, the producers, and actorJeffrey Wright. Discussion includes the idea ofWhat If...?, the creation, the animating of the show, and the casting. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "The Making ofShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings " | Bradford Baruh | Amir Shoucri and Jason Hillhouse | November 12, 2021 (2021-11-12) | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making ofShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings with directorDestin Daniel Cretton, several producers, and the cast members includingSimu Liu,Awkwafina,Meng'er Zhang,Michelle Yeoh,Ben Kingsley,Tony Leung,Benedict Wong and more. Discussion includes the introduction of a Chinese character into the MCU and examining aspects of the filming process. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "The Making ofHawkeye " | Bradford Baruh | Meghan Leon | February 9, 2022 (2022-02-09) | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making ofHawkeye, with series directorsRhys Thomas andBert & Bertie, starsJeremy Renner,Hailee Steinfeld,Tony Dalton,Fra Fee,Aleks Paunovic,Piotr Adamczyk,Vera Farmiga,Alaqua Cox,Florence Pugh,Vincent D'Onofrio,Carlos Navarro, Clayton English, Adelle Drahos, and Adetinpo Thomas, the producers, and additional creatives. Discussion includes the creation of the Broadway-style musical number "Save the City" and the reintroduction of D'Onofrio as Kingpin. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "The Making ofEternals " | Bradley Hogan | Charlie Visnic | February 16, 2022 (2022-02-16) | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making ofEternals with directorChloé Zhao, several producers, and the cast membersGemma Chan,Richard Madden,Kumail Nanjiani,Angelina Jolie,Lauren Ridloff,Lia McHugh,Brian Tyree Henry,Barry Keoghan,Don Lee,Salma Hayek, andKit Harington. Discussion includes the set design, the costume design, the difficulties and benefits of shooting on location, and the diversity of the cast. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "The Making ofMoon Knight " | Bradford Baruh | Amir Shoucri and Jason Hillhouse | May 25, 2022 (2022-05-25) | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making ofMoon Knight with series directorsMohamed Diab,Aaron Moorhead, and Justin Benson, starsOscar Isaac,Ethan Hawke,May Calamawy, Karim El Hakim, and Antonia Salib, the producers, and additional creatives. Discussion includes the depiction ofdissociative identity disorder, the creation of the Egyptian sets, and the difficulties of Isaac playing against himself. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "The Making ofDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness " | Bradford Baruh | Steve Elkins | July 8, 2022 (2022-07-08) | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making ofDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness with directorSam Raimi, writerMichael Waldron, several producers, and the cast membersBenedict Cumberbatch,Elizabeth Olsen,Benedict Wong,Rachel McAdams,Chiwetel Ejiofor,Xochitl Gomez, andBruce Campbell. Discussion includes continuing Stephen Strange's story post-Endgame, the set design, introducing the multiverse, America Chavez and the Illuminati, and the impact of theCOVID-19 pandemic on the writing and production of the film. | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "The Making ofMs. Marvel " | Bradford Baruh | Meghan Leon | August 3, 2022 (2022-08-03) | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making ofMs. Marvel withhead writerBisha K. Ali, character creatorSana Amanat, the series' directors, starsIman Vellani,Matt Lintz,Yasmeen Fletcher,Zenobia Shroff,Mohan Kapur, Saagar Shaikh, Laurel Marsden,Rish Shah,Nimra Bucha,Farhan Akhtar, andAramis Knight, and additional creatives. Discussion includes the parallels between actress Iman Vellani and her characterKamala Khan, the importance of Kamala's family and friends within the series, the Order of the Red Dagger, AvengerCon, recreatingKarachi on location inThailand, and bringing the real-life event of thePartition of India into the story. | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "The Making ofThor: Love and Thunder " | Bradford Baruh | Brandon Bestenheider and Brenton Covington | September 8, 2022 (2022-09-08) | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making ofThor: Love and Thunder with director and actorTaika Waititi, co-writerJennifer Kaytin Robinson, cast membersChris Hemsworth,Natalie Portman,Tessa Thompson, andChristian Bale, and additional creatives. Discussion includes the challenges involved in takingThor in new directions in a fourth film, reintroducing Portman into the franchise, shooting at the Volume, adapting children's drawings for the monster design,Russell Crowe's role asZeus, and the weapon prop design. | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "The Making ofShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law " | Bradford Baruh | Meghan Leon | November 3, 2022 (2022-11-03) | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making ofShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law with cast membersTatiana Maslany,Jameela Jamil,Josh Segarra,Mark Ruffalo,Tim Roth,Benedict Wong, andCharlie Cox, and additional creatives. Discussion includes handling the tone andShe-Hulkbreaking the fourth wall, and making Marvel Studios' first comedic series. | ||||||
| 14 | 14 | "The Making ofBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever " | Bradford Baruh | Brandon Bestenheider and Brenton Covington | February 8, 2023 (2023-02-08) | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making ofBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever with directorRyan Coogler, cast membersLetitia Wright,Danai Gurira,Lupita Nyong'o,Winston Duke,Angela Bassett,Tenoch Huerta Mejía,Mabel Cadena, Alex Livinalli, andDominique Thorne, and additional creatives. Discussion includes the death ofChadwick Boseman, the expansion ofWakanda, theMesoamerican influence in the design of Talokan, the challenges of filming underwater, the film's stunt sequences, and the character arc of Shuri. | ||||||
| No. overall | No. in phase | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [b] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 1 | "The Making ofAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania " | Bradford Baruh | Brandon Bestenheider and Brenton Covington | July 19, 2023 (2023-07-19) | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making ofAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania with directorPeyton Reed, cast membersPaul Rudd,Evangeline Lilly,Jonathan Majors,Kathryn Newton,David Dastmalchian,Katy O'Brian,Michelle Pfeiffer,Corey Stoll, andMichael Douglas, and additional creatives. Discussion includes the creation of theQuantum Realm, fully introducing Majors as major Marvel villainKang the Conqueror,Janet van Dyne's story in the Quantum Realm, and the character arc ofCassie Lang, now a young adult played by Newton. | ||||||
| 16 | 2 | "The Making ofGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 " | Bradford Baruh | Meghan Leon | September 13, 2023 (2023-09-13) | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making ofGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 with directorJames Gunn, cast membersZoe Saldana,Chris Pratt,Karen Gillan,Pom Klementieff,Dave Bautista,Sean Gunn,Chukwudi Iwuji,Vin Diesel,Will Poulter, andBradley Cooper, and additional creatives. Discussion includes wrapping up the Guardians trilogy in a meaningful and emotional way, the relationship and history between Rocket Raccoon and the High Evolutionary, fully introducing Adam Warlock and Cosmo, the Guardians headquarters set on Knowhere, and creating Orgocorps' planet as well as their ideal society called Counter-Earth. | ||||||
| 17 | 3 | "The Making ofSecret Invasion " | Bradford Baruh | Meghan Leon and Brandon Bestenheider and Brenton Covington | September 20, 2023 (2023-09-20) | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making ofSecret Invasion, with head writerKyle Bradstreet, series directorAli Selim, cast membersSamuel L. Jackson,Ben Mendelsohn,Emilia Clarke,Kingsley Ben-Adir,Don Cheadle,Cobie Smulders,Olivia Colman, and additional creatives. | ||||||
| 18 | 4 | "The Making ofLoki: Season 2" | Bradford Baruh | Meghan Leon | November 22, 2023 (2023-11-22) | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making of thesecond season ofLoki, with head writerEric Martin, series directorsAaron Moorhead and Justin Benson, starsTom Hiddleston,Sophia Di Martino,Gugu Mbatha-Raw,Wunmi Mosaku,Owen Wilson,Rafael Casal,Kate Dickie,Ke Huy Quan, andJonathan Majors, executive producer Stephen Broussard, and additional creatives. | ||||||
| 19 | 5 | "The Making ofEcho " | Bradford Baruh | Brandon Bestenheider and Brenton Covington | January 31, 2024 (2024-01-31) | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making ofEcho, with head writersMarion Dayre andAmy Rardin, series directorSydney Freeland, cast membersAlaqua Cox,Vincent D'Onofrio,Chaske Spencer,Devery Jacobs,Charlie Cox,Cody Lightning,Tantoo Cardinal, and additional creatives. Discussion includes Maya Lopez' journey after the events ofHawkeye, cast and crew members learningASL for the production of the series, collaborating with theChoctaw nation, D'Onofrio's performance asKingpin, Maya's brief fight withDaredevil, and creating thepowwow for the final episode. | ||||||
| 20 | 6 | "The Making ofThe Marvels " | N/A | Jesse Latour | February 7, 2024 (2024-02-07) | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making ofThe Marvels with directorNia DaCosta, cast membersBrie Larson,Teyonah Parris,Iman Vellani, andZawe Ashton, and additional creatives. Discussion includes the dynamic between and character development of the three leads, the design of the quantum entanglement scenes, Carol Danvers's spaceship, creating the water planet Aladna, and bringing cats and kittens to set to portray Goose and the other Flerken. | ||||||
| 21 | 7 | "The Making ofX-Men '97 " | Bradford Baruh | Meghan Leon | May 22, 2024 (2024-05-22) | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making ofX-Men '97 with cast members from the original seriesX-Men: The Animated Series andX-Men '97 who reveal their behind-the-scenes stories, and it explores the origins of the original series. | ||||||
| 22 | 8 | "The Making ofDeadpool & Wolverine " | Bradford Baruh | Meghan Leon | November 12, 2024 (2024-11-12) | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making ofDeadpool & Wolverine, with directorShawn Levy, cast membersRyan Reynolds,Hugh Jackman,Emma Corrin, andMatthew Macfadyen, and additional creatives. | ||||||
| 23 | 9 | "The Making ofAgatha All Along " | Bradford Baruh | Meghan Leon | November 13, 2024 (2024-11-13) | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making ofAgatha All Along, with showrunner and lead directorJac Schaeffer, cast membersKathryn Hahn,Joe Locke,Debra Jo Rupp,Aubrey Plaza,Sasheer Zamata,Ali Ahn, andPatti LuPone, and additional creatives. | ||||||
Marvel Studios: Assembled premiered on March 12, 2021, onDisney+. Additional specials are released shortly after a Disney+ series' completion or a film's Disney+ release,[2] with the first three specials debuting one week after the release of each series' finale.[5][10][11] The specials forShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings andThor: Love and Thunder were released as part of the "Disney+ Day" event, respectively in 2021 and 2022, coinciding with the Disney+ releases of those films.[13][18] The special forAgatha All Along was released for free onMarvel Entertainment'sYouTube channel.[1]
Several specials were released later than they were initially announced for: theHawkeye special was originally announced to be released on January 19, 2022,[28] although this was moved to February 9;[14] theMoon Knight special was initially set for May 11, 2022,[29] but ultimately released on May 25;[15] the special forDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was intended to be released on July 1, 2022,[30] before being pushed back and releasing a week later on July 8;[16] and the special forAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was set to be released on June 14, 2023,[31] but ultimately released on July 19. The latter's delay was believed to be due to thelegal issues of that film's starJonathan Majors.[21] The special for the second season ofLoki was moved forward from its initial release date of November 29, 2023, and ultimately released on November 22.[23][32]
TheUltra HD Blu-ray andBlu-ray releases for some of the series included their documentaries as bonus features. These includedLoki season one's release on September 26, 2023,[33]WandaVision's on November 28, 2023,[34]The Falcon and Winter Soldier andMoon Knight's on April 30, 2024,[35] andLoki season two andHawkeye's on December 3, 2024.[36]
With the release of the special forWandaVision, Anderton recalled how Marvel Studios had gone from making the MCU as the "largest episodic experiment ever", according to that series' starPaul Bettany, into a "full fledged success" with its interconnectivity and feltAssembled allowed Marvel Studios to "dive into every aspect" of their upcoming productions, including the "spoiler-filled details" that were kept under wraps.[5] Elaine Low, writing forVariety, said theWandaVision special was a "delightful deep dive" that explored the "massive scale and breadth" of the visual effects used for its episodes and the production design.[37] Lucas Pearce atThe People's Movies felt that special was a "great way to close the gap" betweenthat series' finale by showing how it "all came together".[38]
Regarding the special forThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Anderton felt as that series was more straightforward thanWandaVision, it was less compelling or enthralling,[10][39] but highlighted the technical aspects of that production he found "surprising", such as showcasing the use of real skydivers for some frames, and the use of visual effects for some backgrounds in action scenes and onSam Wilson'sCaptain America suit. He particularly highlighted starsAnthony Mackie andSebastian Stan joking around together and a single take scene ofDaniel Brühl in character as BaronHelmut Zemo promoting aSokovian clothing store called Suit-kovia for a "makeshift commercial", which was filmed at the Brass Monkey nightclub set that was used for the series'Madripoor setting.[39]
"The Making ofBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever" was nominated for Outstanding Variety, Sketch, or Talk – Series or Special at the2023 Black Reel Awards.[40]
In November 2022, the documentary specialDirector by Night was released, going behind the scenes of theMarvel Studios Special PresentationWerewolf by Night (2022) with an emphasis on the life and career of its director and composerMichael Giacchino.[19]
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