In Marvel Television’s Wonder Man, aspiring Hollywood actor Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is struggling to get his career off the ground. During a chance meeting with Trevor Slattery (Sir Ben Kingsley), an actor whose biggest roles may be well behind him, Simon learns that legendary director Von Kovak (Zlatko Burić) is remaking the superhero film Wonder Man. These two actors at opposite ends of their careers doggedly pursue life-changing roles in this film as audiences get a memorable peek behind the curtain of the entertainment industry.
Ahead of the series’ January 27 debut on Disney+, the show’s creatives—including co-creator/director Destin Daniel Cretton and co-creator/head writer Andrew Guest—as well as members of the cast sat down to answer some compelling questions…
What inspired the series? How did it come about, and were you involved from the start?
Andrew Guest (AG): This is an interesting project in that it didn’t involve a traditional start for Marvel in general. Back when Destin Daniel Cretton was shooting Shang-Chi…, he had loved working with Sir Ben Kingsley so much that he turned to his producer on that film, Jonathan Schwartz, and said they should do a series where Sir Ben’s character, Trevor Slattery, goes to Hollywood. They both got excited about the idea but learned that internally Marvel was already planning on doing Wonder Man, another project that was about Hollywood. So, initially, Destin was told that he couldn’t do it, but eventually everyone began to realize that maybe this could be the same show. And that’s when they started reaching out to writers.
When I met with Destin and executive producers Jonathan Schwartz, Stephen Broussaurd, and Brian Gay, they told me they wanted a show that felt different. They wanted it to be a comedy about Hollywood and they wanted it to be about Trevor and Wonder Man, but they weren’t sure who or what this Wonder Man character was going to be—does he have superpowers already? Does he get them in the show? What’s his relationship to those powers? What’s his relationship to acting? Unlike when I worked on Hawkeye, where I was sent source material, in that case a run of Matt Fraction comics, I didn’t really get anything on this one. The comic book character of Wonder Man has a pretty complicated backstory and has existed in a lot of different iterations throughout the years. They weren’t sure they wanted to stay true to any of those versions necessarily. Which was really great and freeing for me. So, the question of “Who is Wonder Man?” was wide open.
Does the series tie into the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe in any way?
AG: We very much wanted to do a no-homework show. It does tie into the larger MCU in that Trevor exists in previous movies like Shang-Chi… and Iron Man 3, and anything’s on the table in terms of greater connectivity down the road—but you don’t have to have seen every Marvel movie or series to enjoy this show.
Destin, how would you describe this series?
Destin Daniel Cretton: The first time I heard Andrew’s pitch for Wonder Man, it sounded like a show I’ve never seen before…not just in the MCU, but anywhere. It’s hilarious, smart, weird, full of heart, and at its core, a comedy about two lonely narcissists learning how to be friends. Yes, it’s a satire about the entertainment industry. Yes, it pokes fun at the genre of superhero films. But it’s also a celebration of Los Angeles—the city of dreamers—as we follow two infectious characters who are passionately, maybe obsessively, driven for greatness. Andrew and his incredible team of writers gave us a series that feels so refreshing and singular in all the best ways. The scripts were so easy to direct because the tone was so clear and specific. I actually think it’s pretty easy to describe—Wonder Man is a bromantic-action fantasy-comedy-drama that will make you laugh and cry and cringe and feel like you can fly!
Wonder Man serves as a love letter to Los Angeles and showcases parts of the city that viewers around the world don’t normally get to see. What can you say about the intent that went into the locations?
DDC: Doing this series made me fall in love with Los Angeles all over again. Thanks to our incredible production designers, Cindy Chao and Michele Yu, we were able to explore so many iconic spots throughout Los Angeles. Cindy and Michele were insistent on showcasing locations throughout the city that feel like the real L.A. that they grew up in. So, Simon and Trevor weren’t only going to TCL Chinese Theatre and the Hollywood Walk of Fame, they were also having drinks at Taix in Echo Park, lunch at Clark Street Diner, and watching a matinee at the now-closed Highland Park Theater…
Yahya, what drew you to your character? What’s Simon like?
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II: I think there are going to be plenty of people who see Simon and say, “Hey, I recognize this guy, I recognize those moments, I see myself in him.” Simon is both insecure and overconfident. He’s ambitious and into himself but has trouble making friends. He’s flawed but has a big heart. He’s deeply human. Simon has secrets… so trust is very important to him and I imagine he’s trying to find different ways to say something, because he can’t necessarily say exactly what it is that he’s dealing with. So, that energy gets bottled up and misdirected to other places. It makes sense to me that he’s someone who’s ambitious and passionate but isn’t the best at making friends or maintaining his relationships. Which is what makes his friendship with Trevor so amazing. They’re different, but the same. They can talk about acting.
Trevor is lost. And Simon is too, so I think he sees that in Trevor, and it makes Trevor not as dangerous as everyone else believes. With Trevor, Simon can practice empathy and listening, but he can also practice leadership. Trevor doesn’t judge him, and so he becomes a safe place for Simon to try to learn the rules of socializing and friendship.
Sir Ben, where do we find Trevor at the start of the series—and what did you enjoy most about your collaboration with Yahya?
Sir Ben Kingsley: Thanks to the gang in Shang-Chi…, we open the series with Trevor sprung from prison and back in L.A. hoping to finally prove that his mother’s faith in him is justified. So, we find him trying to make his mark in Hollywood as an actor, full of hope, ambition, excitement, cherishing his past and devoted to the memory of his mother, who encouraged him to be an “Act-Tor.”
I found as the series went on and as Yahya grew into his character and I into mine, that he is not averse to taking risks whereas my biggest curse is perhaps I can be too careful as an actor. We coined certain phrases, key words and gestures, which I won’t share because they’re confidential language between actors, that would lock us into the tone of a scene, and as we worked together it became a very delightful shorthand between us. The most important thing between actors is trust, and the ability or the will to make the other guy look good is far more important than competing. There’s enough competition in our lives without competing with each other when we’re on camera. We supported each other, and that was a very gratifying layer to unearth working with Yahya.
Zlatko, what attracted you to the role of Von Kovak?
Zlatko Burić: From the beginning I was enthusiastic because the lines were funny and they had different levels of humor. I got the impression Von Kovak was an eccentric European auteur. Shooting a film is a little bit different in Europe. It’s not like an industry (or they pretend it’s not), it’s more like an artistic statement—which is something that can be good but can also be comedic. So, for me, when I started to build my story about Von Kovak, I imagined him like a person who is a little eccentric at a press conference and tries to build a big background for what is a simple action story.
Arian, Agent Cleary first made appearances in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Ms. Marvel. What was it like revisiting the character this time around?
Arian Moayed: Agent Cleary has always been about balancing what his job entails and the morality and ethics behind it. But one of the cool things about working on Wonder Man is that Agent Cleary has this new vibe and new energy. He’s still got the gruffness and the hardness to him, but it’s elevated a little bit, which is fun because we’re getting to know more and more about him. We also get to see him work alongside characters like Trevor Slattery…
X, what interested you in this project—and the role of talent agent Janelle Jackson—and joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
X Mayo: Well, I didn’t know I was auditioning for Marvel at first because they’re very under wraps, very CIA, very FBI… I said, “I wish I would’ve known, because I would’ve worn a cape, I would’ve flown in on my self-tape.” But that’s exactly why they didn’t tell me. The role was grounded, but comedic. I saw the humor in it, and if you’ve been paying attention to Marvel you’ll know they love funny bits. I love this character and I love that this is kind of a discovery for a lot of people who don’t know about Wonder Man. So, I’m so excited to be a part of the cast that’s going to help set up this moment in the MCU.
What do you hope audiences take away from Wonder Man?
AG: I hope people connect with these characters and connect with the show. I got a text from [co-star] Joe Pantoliano the other day after he saw it for the first time, and he loved it so much and was so proud of it. That’s one of the things I hope for the series—that the people who put so much time and energy into it are proud of what we’ve done.
DDC: Whether you’re a long-time Marvel fan or have never watched anything in the MCU before, I hope people have as much fun hanging out with Simon and Trevor as we do. The series was made with love and laughter by a whole bunch of L.A.-based storytellers, and I can’t wait for the world to see their work. It’s a total blast in more ways than one.