Agatha All Alongexecutive producer Mary Livanos breaks down how the newMarvel Cinematic UniverseTV show stands out from previous spinoffs.The MCU timelineis about to see the return of Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness following her incredible debut inWandaVision. Serving as one of the remaining TV series in the Phase 5 slate,Agatha All Alongis becoming the second offshoot in what has been teased as theWandaVisiontrilogy, including the upcomingVisionshow.
TheAgatha All Alongcastfeatures Hahn’s titular character and her new coven of witches as she makes the decision to walk the Witches' Road. The Disney+ drama will not only be another outing for the MCU to tackle witchcraft and the supernatural realms but also lean into some of the strongest elements that madeWandaVisionsuch a big success. With Agatha on the quest to regain her powers, time will tell whatAgatha All Alongwill do for the character’s future in the larger MCU.
Screen Rantspoke with Livanos, who serves as one of the executive producers on the MCU show ahead oftheAgatha All Alongrelease. Throughout the interview, Livanos chatted about how working onWandaVisionhelped pave a lot of ways for how they would tackle theAgatha All Alongstory. Livanos also praises the amount of practical effects that were done for the Phase 5 drama and how Hahn’s reception as Agatha made it easier to craft a spinoff around her character.
Mary Livanos Teases Agatha All Along & Kathryn Hahn’s MCU Return
“It was really Kathryn Hahn and her incredible portrayal of this character that allotted us the opportunity to make the series.”
Screen Rant: This show’s fantastic, I loveAgatha All Along, it’s absolutely fantastic. The show is a direct sequel toWandaVision, but also has so many elements, and the tone is so much different than anything in the MCU. Having worked on bothWandaVisionandAgatha All Along, what were some of the biggest differences you saw between the two series and how do you hope to differentiate fromWandaVision?
Mary Livanos: What’s really exciting for us is that we get to make the show. Agatha Harkness was quite an obscure character from the comics that we were excited to establish in WandaVision, but it was really Kathryn Hahn and her incredible portrayal of this character that allotted us the opportunity to make the series because of the incredible fan response to her. People just want to know more, and of course, WandaVision celebrated the golden age of television with sitcoms throughout the eras.
This show, featuring Agatha Harkness, because she’s a witch, celebrates the golden age of fantasy and horror. We’ve taken nearly entirely practical approach to making the show. With the Witches' Road or in any of these trials, you’re able to be certain that there was no blue screen or green screen. We’ve utilized backdrops and miniatures and special makeup effects to ensure that any environment or evil that our coven faced was entirely real, and something that could, they could emotionally harness. I think that really galvanized the crew, and that excitement will be felt on the other end of the screen.
I love the Witches' Road because it reminds me a bit ofThe Wizard of Ozmixed withHocus Pocusa little bit. Can you talk about adapting the Witches' Road for Agatha, because I know that’s primarily a Wanda story.
Mary Livanos: Well, whenever we start out on a new project, especially, I make a point to read all of the appearances that that character ever shows up in, and that really just all goes in the cauldron when we’re in the writers room and developing [it] but you referenced the Wizard of Oz and Hocus Pocus, I think there’s just such a deep love for all things horror and fantasy and these sub genres. So when you watch Agatha All Along, there’s just references throughout of everything that folks, who are fans of villanscore, peppered throughout.
Familiar Themes In Agatha All Along From WandaVision
One of the biggest themes inWandaVisionwas the idea of grief and working through grief, and we can surely see that back with Agatha. How much does grief continue here and what other themes are explored in the show?
Mary Livanos: Well, what I can say is that the stakes for the show are incredibly high. Death is a central theme to this show, and the Witches' Road is a perilous journey. I can say that not all survive, so therefore, I would say grief plays a part as well.
The Return Of The Agatha All Along Theme Song
“We were looking for a way to fold in some sort of musical moment yet again.”
I love the musical aspect of this show. Fans clearly loved theAgatha All Alongsong fromWandaVision. Was that always planned to be the musical element in this show, or was it after the fact, whenAgatha All Alonghit the top of the charts?
Mary Livanos: I think it was our experience working with Bobby Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez during WandaVision that we knew their talents were indispensable. It just brought such new heights to WandaVision that we could have never hoped for. And certainly, the fan response galvanized us to absolutely find a way to work with them again with the show.
During the show’s development, we were looking for a way to fold in some sort of musical moment yet again and Jac Schaeffer just wrapped her head around how that could possibly play out. The Ballad of the Witches' Road just took on a life of its own. It’s performed several different ways throughout the course of the show, and I would say, also plays quite a central narrative role as well, so I’m excited for fans to see how that evolves and compounds.
Could The MCU Feature More Scarlet Witch Stories & Even A Solo Movie?
“I think you have to ask the Man in the Hat about that!”
I do want to ask you about theChildren’s Crusade, because that is a storyline that a lot of fans are looking forward to. Is that in the works at all for Disney+ or anything like that? Can you hint anything at all?
Mary Livanos: I’m certainly a fan of that run, and that’s all I can say!
Who Is Joe Locke’s Mystery Marvel Character?
Who Joe Locke is playing in the MCU’s upcoming Agatha All Along series, and how he’s likely connected to Wanda Maximoff’s Scarlet Witch explained.
Let me ask you another question: Is there a possibility foraScarlet Witchmovie?
Mary Livanos: I think you have to ask the Man in the Hat [Kevin Feige] about that! [laughs]
More About Agatha All Along Season 1
In Agatha All Along, the infamous Agatha Harkness finds herself down and out of power after a suspicious goth Teen helps break her free from a distorted spell. Her interest is piqued when he begs her to take him on the legendary Witches’ Road, a magical gauntlet of trials that, if survived, rewards a witch with what they’re missing. Together, Agatha and this mysterious Teen pull together a desperate coven, and set off down, down, down The Road…
Check out our otherAgatha All Alonginterviews with:
Agatha All Alongwill release the first two episodes on Wednesday, September 18, on Disney+.
Agatha All Along
Cast
Agatha Harkness, after the events of “WandaVision,” seeks to regain her magical powers. Joining forces with unexpected allies, including the son of an old adversary, she battles new mystical threats while uncovering hidden secrets in the magical realm.
