LOS ANGELES, March 18, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – “Avengers: Endgame” just lost its
crown as the biggest box office hit of all time, but the Marvel superhero
spectacular still looms large over parent company Disney’s plans for the
small screen as well as re-opening theaters.
The 2019 smash hit — whose $2.798 billion haul was surpassed by last
weekend’s Chinese re-release of “Avatar” — was a unique theatrical “event”
which concluded the plots of 21 previous, inter-connected films.
Those eagerly anticipated storylines continue Friday not in theaters but
on Disney+ — the streaming platform seen as central to the Mouse House’s
future — with six-episode series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.”
Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige is adamant that fans of his studio’s
explosive superhero antics will not miss out during the pandemic-accelerated
shift to the small screen.
“We kept saying ‘if we’re going to do a series with Falcon and Winter
Soldier in it, we need to at least start off with the best action that we’ve
ever seen,'” Feige told a virtual press conference.
“And we’ve seen a lot of cool action with both of them before.”
The two characters — known to comic book fans as Sam Wilson and Bucky
Barnes — were relatively minor roles in the Marvel films.
But as his superhero name suggests, Falcon can fly — thanks to a hi-tech
winged jetpack — and the opening sequence of “The Falcon and the Winter
Soldier” is a special effects-laden aerial spectacular.
“Just because it’s on TV, doesn’t mean it’s not going to be as big as it
could possibly be as a movie,” added Feige.
– ‘Evolved’ –
“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” is in fact the second Marvel show to
hit Disney+.
It follows the oddball and quirky yet critically adored “WandaVision,”
whose place within the franchise’s overarching story was cryptic to say the
least.
But “Falcon” — which was intended to arrive first, before production was
derailed by the pandemic and earthquakes in Puerto Rico — follows on more
directly from “Endgame,” and is overall much more familiar territory for fans
of the movies.
“It was pretty on par with the films, I felt — actually, even more
evolved and intense,” said co-star Sebastian Stan of the action sequences,
which also used the same stuntmen as the movies.
While plot details are under wraps, the pilot sees Wilson (Anthony Mackie)
still struggling with the loss of Captain America — who appeared to pass the
superhero mantle to him in “Avengers: Endgame,” in the form of his iconic
shield.
Meanwhile Barnes is undergoing therapy after his horrific experiences
outlined in the films.
“As crazy and extraordinary and science fiction and fantasy and
supernatural” as Marvel stories can be, “the character experiences and the
emotions of the character (are) always by far the most important anchor,”
said Feige.
The characters have been through trauma which is easily forgotten when
“there’s sparkly portals opening and people cheering and a giant man punching
a flying lizard,” he joked.
“But… they would have repercussions, years down the line, and that is
very fun to explore” over a six-hour series, Feige added.