You can hear me screaming throughout the world about a reported limited series starring Sam Wilson (AKA Falcon) and Bucky Barnes (the Winter Soldier himself). It’ll be part of a Disney streaming service effort that is going to focus on popular Marvel characters who haven’t had a movie of their own.
According to a Variety exclusive, the show has tapped writer Malcolm Spellman (Empire), but there are still a lot of details we don’t know. Significantly, Marvel and Disney have yet to comment on the news—just as they stayed mum on the widely reported Loki and Scarlet Witch limited series—so we can’t verify it 100%. However, Variety is a damned reliable Hollywood source, so when they’re announcing exclusives with headlines like, “Falcon-Winter Soldier Limited Series in the Works With ‘Empire’ Writer,” we’re going to pay attention.
And we’re going to tweet out our feelings on it.
Thes two characters—Captain America’s best friends, who often comedically butt heads—have become fan favorites in the Marvel fandom, and to see them have any amount of screen time would be a joy. It would be nice to see Bucky Barnes have actual lines and be on screen for more than 40 minutes, and for Falcon to stretch his wings as more than Cap’s faithful back-up.
Anthony Mackie reportedly doesn’t have any more films in his contract and he’s set to star in Altered Carbon‘s second season, but the budgets are supposed to be quite large for these limited series, and Mackie has always been enthusiastic about his Marvel involvement. Mackie and Sebastian Stan seem to get on famously; we can imagine their personal dynamic and the dynamic between their characters was a big draw to get them to sign on. If they really have signed on.
With all that in mind, we can still begin to write out our fanfiction theories on this beautiful show that may or may not be in development. (Please, let us pray to the Marvel gods that it is going to happen and there is an entire episode where Bucky and Sam are going on a road trip and end up singing songs in the car together.)
Hey @MarvelStudios, can I write for this Falcon/Bucky Barnes show? Here is my first pitch: Bucky and Sam are in a bar. Sam keeps calling himself Bucky’s wingman and when women question it, he says “Get it? Because I’m Falcon” pic.twitter.com/n9hQpjjbTP
— rachel leishman (@RachelLeishman) October 31, 2018
Imagine, if you will, this scene. Bucky hates going out but there is a Hydra agent they have to locate at a bar. Bucky points out that it would be moronic for him to go since he used to be a pawn of Hydra but Sam thinks that would get the agent to talk to them. Eventually, Bucky relents and, to just annoy Bucky further, Sam continues to call him “James” throughout the night.
Halfway through the night, Bucky says to Sam that they’re never going to be able to figure out who the agent is because Sam keeps approaching women (and women keep approaching Sam). To prove Bucky wrong, the agent they were looking for catches them and a chase ensues. More importantly, Bucky and Sam go to a bar. Gimme gimme.
The more we learn about this Marvel streaming service, the more excited we are. The expansion of these high profile series makes sense. Unlike Netflix’s Marvel offerings, which are winding down with the recent cancellations of The Defenders, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage, these series reportedly will be produced in-house by Marvel Studios under the watchful eye of the all-knowing, all-seeing Kevin Feige. They look like they’ll be a different animal entirely, and now the TV landscape is a good deal less crowded with Marvel offerings.
Here’s the main thing: all I have ever wanted in this world was a buddy superhero show with Sam and Bucky and now I’m getting it and I’m ready for it to save the world.
(via Variety, images: Marvel Entertainment)
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