Having conquered movies and TV (streaming TV, anyway), Marvel is looking next at taking on scripted half-hour comedy.
According to The Hollywood Reporter‘s Lesley Goldberg, Freeform (formerly known as ABC Family) has ordered a 10-episode first season for New Warriors, based on the Marvel Comics series about a team of young superheroes. It’s the second Marvel show Freeform has greenlit, joining Cloak and Dagger which was announced a year ago and will likely premiere next year. Both shows represent Marvel’s ambition to pursue a young adult audience, which is Freeform’s target viewership.
The half-hour comedy is set to be written by Kevin Biegel, who previously worked on Cougar Town and Scrubs. Biegel is in talks to write the pilot and be the series showrunner.
What could make New Warriors even more appealing to Marvel Comics fans (and perhaps more importantly, female viewers) is that the series will feature Squirrel Girl. The character hasn’t been a part of the group in Marvel Comics, but is a fan favorite that has attracted interest from actresses in Hollywood such as Anna Kendrick (whose star power and age likely don’t jive with what Freeform is going with (and Stranger Things‘ Shannon Purser. Personally, I think Purser would be an excellent choice.
SQUIRREL GIRL TV SHOWWWWWWWWWW https://t.co/QwSwWCgBOt
— Ryan North 🦖 🪄 🐶 💪 4️⃣ (@ryanqnorth) April 5, 2017
Originally debuting back in 1992, Squirrel Girl (aka Doreen Green) has the ability to communicate with squirrels, while featuring the strength, speed, and dexterity of the little creatures. On the surface, the character seems like an odd choice to merge with the New Warriors in a live-action series. However, Squirrel Girl has gained so much popularity that it’s a no-brainer for Marvel to give her a big push.
Ryan North’s 2014 The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl run revitalized the character as a favorite among readers. Green was portrayed as spunky, funny and an icon for a young female audience. She is one tough cookie. In the series, she faces off against established Marvel Comics villains such as Kraven the Hunter, Galactus, and Ratatosk. Don’t mess with her.
But since the show is New Warriors, the question becomes who will join Squirrel Girl on the team. Debuting in Tom DeFalco’s Thor #411 in 1989, the superhero group is essentially the junior Avengers. It’s a group of young heroes coming to terms with their powers. The tone will be more CW than Netflix. Freeform is a family network, so don’t expect swearing or gore. Instead, expect it to be a teen show with the guise of a superhero series.
https://youtu.be/B_2jdWobBV8
The series will be Marvel’s first attempt at a both a scripted comedy and a series geared towards teens. In an oversaturated superhero genre, straight comedy has barely been attempted. Unless you count Iron Fist as an unintentional one. In 2015, Marvel and ABC greenlit a pilot based on Damage Control, about a company hired to clean up the mess left behind after big superhero battles. That project stalled, but the concept will be used in the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming film, tying in with Michael Keaton’s Vulture villain.
The only real try at superhero comedy besides classics like The Tick is NBC’s Powerless. Despite starting fan-favorite actors Alan Tudyk, Danny Pudi, and Vanessa Hudgens and taking place in the DC Comics universe (one of the main characters is Batman’s cousin), the show has flopped in the ratings and received lukewarm reviews. Barring a sudden turnaround in audience and quality, Powerless is likely to be canceled by NBC. There’s no guaranteed success despite its comic book ties.
On face value, however, with a younger audience and established characters, The New Warriors should fare better than its DC counterpart in the genre. It’s not a random attempt at making something funny from scratch, like Powerless, but instead has plenty of source material to lean on. Plus, the characters are inherently silly, which should suit Biegel’s sensibilities and seems perfect for the teen audience Freeform is targeting.
The New Warriors roster has featured relatively big names during its various comic book runs, including Nova, Scarlet Spider, and Speedball. Cloak and Dagger have also been members of the group, so there’s plenty of crossover potential for Freeform. Since the network is home to shows like Pretty Little Liars, New Warriors will probably focus just as much on the teens being teens as their superpowers. Which characters are chosen and who will be cast should be intriguing to follow in the weeks and months to come.
Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn has hinted that Nova could appear in the MCU at some point, so it’s doubtful he’ll be in this series. Rights issues among mutant characters from the X-Men universe should prevent some heroes from appearing as well. Other possibilities could be Namorita (related to the aquatic Namor the Sub-Mariner), Hummingbird (a telepath) and Firestar (basically a female Johnny Storm), but there are tons of options. Maybe if they change backstories to make characters non-mutants (maybe Inhumans?), it will allow more Marvel heroes to become available.
Regardless of who appears, seeing Squirrel Girl come to live-action television is exciting. A few years ago, she would be the last character most might expect to lead a TV series. But with the popularity of Marvel series such as Daredevil, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Legion, it comes as no surprise the pop culture giant is more willing to take creative risks.
