For film fans, you may think of Jac Shaeffer and remember her 2009 debut film, “Timer,” which made the rounds at film festivals. However, in more recent years, she’s been a prominent screenwriter, especially at Marvel Studios, where she contributed to films such as “Captain Marvel” and the forthcoming “Black Widow.” But her most recent project is the Disney+ series, “WandaVision,” which she created and produces. It’s “WandaVision” that might end up being one of the most important Marvel Studios creations yet, serving as the company’s debut into the world of TV and streaming. And Jac Shaeffer couldn’t be more excited to lead the way.
I got a chance to speak with Shaeffer recently about “WandaVision,” specifically what lies ahead and what it’s like being the first-ever Marvel Studios TV project on Disney+. And though getting spoilers out of a Marvel veteran like her is tantamount to climbing Mount Everest, the “WandaVision” creator did provide some interesting teases about what lies ahead for the superhero sitcom and why she’s okay with people growing impatient by its week-to-week release schedule.
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When asked what happens at the end of “WandaVision” (because you have to ask, right?), Shaeffer joked, “What happens is…next question. [Laughs]”
As far as fans upset over the weekly release schedule, Schaeffer said, “When we were early, early working on [‘WandaVision’], it wasn’t known what the rollout would be. So, the question was less about the binge-ability or dropping them weekly, it was more about how long can we keep the sitcom gig going? How much to reveal about the larger mystery? How much will be in the MCU space versus how much will be in the authentic sitcom space? That was always a question. And a concern, really. But we were all very unified in seeing how far we can take it. And if we could truly create a sitcom featuring [Wanda and Vision].”
As for the timing of “WandaVision’s” release, the show wasn’t always positioned as the first show out of the gate for Marvel Studios. However, with “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” being delayed, Schaeffer’s show picked up the slack and became the first show for Disney+. And that didn’t scare the show’s creator at all.
“I was excited to land in the debut spot,” she explained. “I was very nervous about how the show would be received, but in my heart of hearts, I felt our show is kinda the perfect show for this moment, in a way we never could have anticipated. We can’t even dream of taking credit for how this all worked out.”
Schaeffer continued, “[‘WandaVision’] is very much about how we gravitate to comforting entertainment and how sitcoms make us feel safe and warm and we feel loving and close to our families. And that’s what we’ve all been reaching for over this past year. And so it feels strangely reflective of our experience, of my experience at least. I think audiences are interested in feeling good and in laughing and in being challenged. And even though I know there is a lot of impatience, I think there is a lot of delight to be found in stretching this out because we all have so much time on our hands right now.”
And regarding the impatience yet again, the creator is quick to point out that “every episode has something exciting from here on out. It’s a wild ride.”
When looking ahead, many eagle-eyed Marvel fans have noticed a featurette where Schaeffer is talking to the camera and behind her is a blurry image of what appears to be Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man. In the comics, Wonder Man and Vision have a very long history, and Williams was a major driving force of the creation of the android hero. But obviously, that wasn’t part of the MCU continuity. Still, why was there a picture of Wonder Man?
Well, Schaeffer isn’t spilling it, just yet.
“I was standing in our writers’ room, which is covered floor-to-ceiling in all sorts of art and inspiration…and it’s a pretty exciting room and…yeah…” she teased.
Her silence and lack of denial are pretty telling, right True Believers?
One of the more interesting aspects of the early episodes of “WandaVision” has to be the commercials, which many fans are also using as proof of future teases and Easter Eggs. Regarding those additions to the show, Schaeffer said they were always part of her pitch and they are a necessary addition to the episodes.
“[The commercials] felt like something we had to do that was another added layer of texture and nostalgia that would also be a lot of fun. And [they’re] another way to tell different layers of the story,” she said.
When asked if audiences should be reading between the lines of the commercials, she replied simply, “Yeah.”
While Schaeffer isn’t going to talk about what else lies her future, especially when it comes to some more Marvel projects, she’s excited by whatever is coming her way.
“I would consider myself incredibly lucky to work on more Marvel projects, so we’ll have to see,” she said.
“WandaVision” airs new episodes every Friday on Disney+. And “Black Widow” is expected to arrive in theaters (for now, at least) on May 7.
