Marvel's WHAT IF...? Animated Series Continues Production During The Pandemic
While most film and TV productions have shut down, the animation industry seems to continue because a lot of the work being done can be completed remotely. Stephan Franck, head of animation for Marvel’s upcoming Disney+ series What If…?, confirms his show is pressing forward during the coronavirus pandemic.
While speaking with Newsarama, he explains:
"I normally split my day between my home studio and the Disney lot for dailies and reviews, but now we’re just doing it all remotely. From what I hear across town, animation has been able to keep the shows in production with everyone safely working from home. Kudos to the studios for pivoting so fast to remote work.”
Unfortunately, some animation projects have been put on hiatus since the lockdown:
"It all happened literally within days. Unfortunately I’m also hearing about some projects in development or with more distant release dates being put on hiatus, but a fair number of people in animation are still at work from the safety of their home, which we are all grateful for."
When asked specifically about the What If…? series, Franck was willing to provide much information or insight. All he said was:
"I really can’t tell you much about the show, or S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are going to come and take me away. What I can tell you is that the level of talent and passion on the team is off the charts and that I am having a blast."
Marvel Studios has reportedly set the release date for the 10-episode first season for the summer of 2021. In addition, Marvel Studios has officially partnered up with Squeeze, a Québec City-based animation studio, to produce five of the 10 episodes of the show.
There are 23 episodes in total being developed, and most of the MCU cast will be reprising their roles in the series. Each episode will examine the past films included in The Infinity Saga, but each of the stories will feature one key difference showing how the story would have played out differently. The Watcher will be voiced by Jeffrey Wright.
Some of the stories that have been revealed so far include T'Challa as Star-Lord; Zombie Captain America attacking Bucky Barnes; Peggy Carter as Captain Carter, and a little Steve Rogers with WWII tank-style mech armor. I’m looking forward to seeing what other stories Marvel plays with in this show!
The voice cast includes Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Josh Brolin as Thanos, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Hayley Atwell as Agent Peggy Carter, Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, Neal McDonough as Dum Dum Dugan, Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark, Sean Gunn as Kraglin, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Taika Waititi as Korg, Toby Jones as Arnim Zola, Djimon Hounsou as Korath, Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster, and Michael Rooker as Yondu.