This should come as a no-brainer, probably not even worth being reported on as much as it has been (including by me, I suppose), but ABC really wants to stay in the Marvel business. Well no shit. Regardless of the few failures they’ve had, getting seven seasons from Agents of SHIELD was no joke, and since ABC falls under the Disney umbrella, too, a conversation with Kevin Feige makes sense.
ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke revealed at a TCA panel that he has begun chatting with Feige about how they can make a Marvel series happen on the network…
“We love our partners at Marvel and we’re sad to see [‘Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D’] go, it’s been a big part of our history. We’re looking forward to working with Kevin Feige and we’re at the very beginning of conversations with him now about what a Marvel and ABC show might look like. Right now, Marvel’s focus has been on Disney+, as it should be.”
This is all happening in the wake of Feige taking complete creative control over Marvel television and film, which has led to the rapid cancellation of shows that don’t fit with his vision. The shows that do are primarily on Disney+, while others aren’t even considered to be part of the MCU anymore. Wait, does that mean Phil Coulson is still dead? I’m still confused about that.
Burke’s hopes may be fleeting, though. Just because he’s starting to chat up Feige about a Marvel show on ABC doesn’t mean it’s likely to happen. Feige seems committed to keeping Marvel very close to the vest so there are no conflicts with overall plan. It’s possible they work something out for a very low-level character, I suppose, but I wouldn’t even count on that. [Deadline]