Wonder Man co-creator Andrew Guest dispelled rumors circling the Emmy-nominated show’s sudden cancellation.
Disney announced Wonder Man‘s renewal in March only to reverse the decision last week and cancel the Marvel show ahead of Season 2. Wonder Man follows two actors, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Sir Ben Kingsley, at different places in their careers as they audition for the next big superhero movie.
The series scored a 91 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and climbed to the number eight position on the streaming top 10 originals chart during its first week. It also earned Abdul-Mateen II an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as Simon Williams, a Hollywood actor whose life changes after he develops superpowers.
Guest addressed the flurry of online speculation surrounding the cancellation in a TikTok post, including one rumor that the announcement was a stunt to promote a new film.
“I feel how you all feel, and I just want to clear up what I can here,” Guest said. “This is not a marketing stunt. There is no movie in the works. And no one’s schedule was an issue. Yahya, Destin [Daniel Cretton], Sir Ben [Kingsley] and I all loved making this show, all felt passionately about continuing to do it, and were eager to. Contracts were signed, schedules were cleared, writers’ room was supposed to start this month, production was supposed to begin early next year.”
Guest said he knows very few details about why the show was canceled, but appreciates the outpouring of support for the show. He had written the first episode for Season 2, and his team had developed an outline for the rest of the season, which “everyone felt really good about.”
“There was a decision made internally between Disney and Marvel that this didn’t make sense for them, even though a few months ago it did,” he said. “And that’s, essentially, all I really know.”
The cancellation announcement spurred online discussion about the company’s treatment of projects with Black leads, after Marvel failed to launch two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali’s Blade despite public excitement. Critics also cite that Marvel hasn’t seemed to prioritize Don Cheadle’s Armor Wars.
Guest appeared to allude to this in his video statement.
“I appreciate everybody getting out there and letting your voices be heard about how you feel about this,” he said. “I think there’s important conversations being had online about the kind of stories that we’re prioritizing and the kind of shows platforms want to make. I hope people are listening, and I also hope that Emmy voters are thinking about Yahya and how much he deserves the Emmy for the incredible work he did on the show.”
Abdul-Mateen thanked the show’s supporters and expressed his gratitude for being part of the series in a post to Instagram.
“The show worked,” he wrote. “And that’s my favorite thing about it. I could see it on the faces of the YouTube Reactors (because I watched along with y’all this time. Shoutout to y’all), and I can see in the messages I get saying how the show reminded some of you not to give up, and I feel it in the genuine love shared when I bump into some of you all during the day. So, thinking of you all today.”
He concluded, “I’m glad we got to be a part of something cool. Thank you for watching… And uhh… See you at the EMMYS.”
