Spider-Man Is the Reason MARVEL ZOMBIES Became a TV Show Instead of a Movie
Marvel fans are about to sink their teeth into Marvel Zombies, but according to executive producer Brad Winderbaum, it almost looked very different.
The animated series was originally planned as “one big epic story,” but because of Spider-Man’s complicated rights situation, the project had to be reworked into a four-part Disney+ series.
During a recent appearance on the Who Let Us Out podcast, Winderbaum, who serves as Marvel’s Head of Animation, explained the unique challenge of working with the webhead in animation.
“Sony has [the] other rights. We can use Spider-Man in a half-hour animation, which is why we're able to make Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man as well.
“But that meant that we had to take our big epic story and break it into four chapters, which I actually think helped the storytelling.”
So instead of one long animated feature, Marvel Studios took the zombie outbreak and split it into four distinct chapters. The result, Winderbaum believes, actually makes the show stronger.
Set in an alternate MCU reality, Marvel Zombies drops viewers into a world where Earth-616 is consumed by the undead.
Heroes like Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), Ironheart (Dominique Thorne), Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), and Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) must survive against the horde.
Spider-Man also swings into action, though this time he’s voiced by Hudson Thames, who previously portrayed him in What If…?.
When asked if there were any other characters he wished had made it into the series, Winderbaum admitted there’s more he’d like to explore.
“There are lots that we still talk about, you know? Hopefully, if we get a chance to make more, we'll be able to tell their stories, too.”
Director Bryan Andrews added:
“No spoilers because we don't know. But yes, we have ideas for another thing if we're able to go there.”
That sounds like Marvel is already thinking ahead to a possible continuation if fans show up for the undead showdown.
Marvel Zombies premieres September 24 on Disney+.