According to Variety, Marvel Studios has reportedly set the release date for Disney+‘s highly-anticipated animated series What If…?, revealing that the 10-episode first season will be making its debut in the Summer of 2021. In addition, Disney-owned studio has officially partnered up with Squeeze, a Québec City-based animation studio, to produce five of 10 episodes of the upcoming MCU series with the first season only focusing on stories from The Infinity Saga.
“Marvel was looking for a world-class animation studio to come up with a fresh and unique style that would be in keeping with their brand essence. We really clicked, right from our initial talks in Los Angeles last year, and they loved our proposal. I’m thrilled that our artists’ creativity and talent resonated so strongly in Hollywood.” Squeeze CEO and co-founder Denis Doré said in statement.
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At Marvel Studios’ 2019 Comic-Con panel, it was announced that Westworld actor Jeffrey Wright has been cast to voice The Watcher, who serves as the narrator throughout the series. The MCU actors who are set to reprise their roles in the animated series have also been revealed including: Michael B. Jordan, Sebastian Stan, Josh Brolin, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Hemsworth, Hayley Atwell, Chadwick Boseman, Karen Gillan, Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Neal McDonough, Dominic Cooper, Sean Gunn, Natalie Portman, David Dastmalchian, Stanley Tucci, Taika Waititi, Toby Jones, Djimon Hounsou, Jeff Goldblum, Michael Rooker and Chris Sullivan.
The original What if comic book series debuted in 1977 and over time 200 issues have been published. The stories ranged from the impossible to the ridiculous as Marvel looks to use the streaming service to tell more out of the box stories unachievable through live-action. The animated series could take examples directly from the comic book series, or they could imagine a few new stories to explore. Other examples from the comic books that may or may not make their way into the animated series include:
What if Captain America hadn’t vanished during World War II?
What if Spider-Man didn’t become a crimefighter?
What if Thanos joined the Avengers?
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Disney‘s streaming service is the exclusive home in the U.S. for subscription-video-on-demand viewing of the newest live-action and animated series and movies from Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel and Fox. The service is ad-free, supported solely by subscription fees, and will be available on gaming consoles, smart TV’s, and connected streaming devices.
