In July, we got word that Marvel Television had decided not to move forward with a second season of Wonder Man - after the series had already been renewed.
Just a couple of months earlier, excitement was high at the news that stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley were set to reprise their respective lead roles as Simon Williams and Trevor Slattery. The Disney+ show's creative team was also back on board, with Destin Daniel Cretton to return as director and executive producer, and Andrew Guest as showrunner and executive producer.
Though it's probably fair to say that hype for Wonder Man wasn't exactly through the roof in the buildup to the show's premiere, Marvel Television's latest MCU-set series succeeded in winning over a lot of fans. Critics were also very impressed, and the show sits at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Wonder Man's dialled-back approach to superheroics and focus on character over spectacle proved to be a welcome change for those hoping to see something genuinely different from an MCU project, and viewers were eager to see more of Simon and Trevor following the events of the season finale.
We still don't know exactly why the show was cancelled, but Abdul-Mateen II said he was told it was "something to do with the viewership numbers" during a recent interview with Vanity Fair. The Aquaman actor also had a few other things to say.
"I think the optics are obvious. If I’m a big business, if I’m Disney, if I’m Marvel, I don’t want to be attached to these optics. So it should be a priority to change that narrative and to do what it takes to responsibly change that narrative with quality stories, with quality resources."
In a new interview with SyFy.com to promote By Any Means, Abdul-Mateen II gave a slightly more diplomatic response when asked about the show being axed.
“Nothing bitter about this experience. I'm blessed. I got to play the role. I feel like I had the best seat in the house. I feel for the fans who were expecting to see the show come back," he added. "It's still a celebration of the work that we did over here,” he added. “I'm looking forward to representing myself and representing the show and the fans come Sept. 14.”
Abdul-Mateen II has been nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy for his performance in Wonder Man.
We may not have seen the last of Simon Williams in the MCU, but we're not expecting him to make the jump to the big screen anytime soon. He could turn up in another Disney+ show down the line, although with Marvel seemingly moving away from streaming, that might not be very likely, either.
Aspiring Hollywood actor Simon Williams is struggling to get his career off the ground. During a chance meeting with Trevor Slattery, an actor whose biggest roles may be well behind him, Simon learns legendary director Von Kovak is remaking the superhero film “Wonder Man”. These two actors at opposite ends of their careers doggedly pursue life-changing roles in this film as audiences get a peek behind the curtain of the entertainment industry.
Along with Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams, Wonder Man will star Demetrius Grosse as Simon's brother Eric Williams, aka the Grim Reaper, along with Sir Ben Kingsley as the returning Trevor Slattery. Byron Bowers is also on board as Doorman. We had heard that Ed Harris, Bob Odenkirk, and Courtney Cox had been enlisted for cameos, but none of them actually showed up (Josh Gad played himself).