Unlike a few years ago when Marvel Studios was making like 16 different TV shows at once, now the small-screen branch of the entertainment giant is pulling back on even its longest-gestating projects. We discussed this a while back, with Marvel Studios‘ Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation Brad Winderbaum saying Marvel Television would develop series much more in line with how regular networks do. As a result, according to Deadline, Marvel has paused development on a Nova series—announced back in 2022—along with Strange Academy and Terror, Inc.
We’re still getting used to this new model for Marvel. For the first few years of the Disney+ series, Marvel handled TV the same way it had features. Once Kevin Feige put the title and a release date on the big board, it was pretty much guaranteed. (I mean, unless it was Blade, of course.) Now, the studio is in tacit development on a number of different projects with different writers and showrunners attached. Only the ready ones happen. In the Deadline article, Marvel shared that none of the three projects had gotten an official greenlight.
As recently as September 2024, Winderbaum had spoken about the Nova series, based on Marvel’s space cop hero. At the time, he said the series would draw inspiration from famous sci-fi exploration series like Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica. Originally, Marvel hired Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel writer Sabir Pirzada to shape the series. As of December of last year, Pirzada had left the project and Criminal Minds alum Ed Bernero stepped in as writer and showrunner.
Strange Academy would have adapted the comic book series of the same name. Created by Skottie Young and artist Humberto Ramos, the comic debuted in March 2020. Set in New Orleans, it follows a kind of sorcerer school, with Doctor Strange taking the Professor X-esque founder position. The school would educate young individuals with magical abilities. The show was expected to focus on Wong, portrayed by Benedict Wong, and his leadership of the school.
Terror, Inc. is a much deeper cut from Marvel’s archive. It follows Terror, who possesses the ability to incorporate the body parts of others into his own form, gaining their memories and abilities. Kinda weird. Created by Dan Chichester, Margaret Clark, and Klaus Janson, the character first appeared under the name Shreck in St. George #2 in August 1988 before his reintroduction as Terror in the 1992 series.
In any case, Marvel seems to now follow the lead of James Gunn’s DCU in this respect. Gunn announced a bevy of titles in 2023, but he has since stated whatever is ready will go first. Mike Flanagan’s Clayface movie was never in the original slate. Now it has the third feature slot following Superman and Supergirl.
I kinda like that Marvel Studios is going more fluid with its titles, and maybe it’ll stop them from announcing whole phases six years ahead of time. Just a thought.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.