news ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ Will Run as a Drama Series at 2021 Emmys — Exclusive

“The Falcon and the Winter Solider” will be submitted as a Drama Series at this year’s Emmy Awards, marking a shift from its expected placement in the Limited Series categories.

In an exclusive interview with IndieWire, Marvel Studios VP of Production & Development and “Falcon and Winter Soldier” executive producer Nate Moore said they started planning to run the series as a Drama fairly early on.

“[The decision] came about sort of as the series was launching, but it was something we were thinking about even as we were making it — not because we think, ‘Oh my God, it’s so great,’ but because it does feel a bit more dramatic than some of our typical stuff,” Moore said. “As this is sort of our first foray into television, even if it’s Disney+, we thought [the category placement] was appropriate for what the show is trying to tackle.”

While Moore said Marvel “always wants the possibility” for more seasons, he did not confirm “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” Season 2 was moving forward just yet. “We’ve definitely kicked around ideas because we always like to keep thinking about where things can go, but we also, frankly, in the crush of the pandemic, we’re just trying to finish the show and make sure it got out in a timely matter,” he said. “Hopefully at the end of this season, you will see the potential for what we could tell in a subsequent season.”

Meanwhile, Marvel’s other eligible TV series on Disney+ — the nine-episode “WandaVision” — will run in the Limited or Anthology Series categories, as expected.

“I think ‘WandaVision’ is a show you can only do once. She can’t go back into that reality,” Moore said, speaking to what separates the two Marvel series. “That is such a complete arc of what that character can do and what that story wanted to do, whereas ‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’ is really about dealing with, to me, the legacy of what a superhero is, through the lens of Captain America and his shield, but ultimately through the lens of all these different characters. And that’s a story I think you can revisit in subsequent seasons because it’s an evergreen story. It’s a conversation.”

The 2021 Emmys race for Best Limited Series is already extremely crowded. “The Queen’s Gambit,” “The Undoing,” “Small Axe,” “I May Destroy You,” “Fargo,” “The Good Lord Bird,” and “Your Honor” are all eligible — and those are just eligible programs released in 2020. This year has seen acclaimed limited series such as “Mare of Easttown,” “It’s a Sin,” “The Girlfriend Experience,” and Marvel’s own “WandaVision” join the fray. Still to come are hotly anticipated limited series like Barry Jenkins’ “The Underground Railroad” and Ryan Murphy’s “Halston,” which is expected to meet the eligibility window.

Meanwhile, the Drama Series competition is wide open. Only three of last year’s nominees remain eligible in 2021, leaving five slots to fill and fewer programs to fill them. (The pandemic wreaked havoc on production schedules.)

Moore said they had not decided on specific category placements for actors and other talent, such as whether Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan would both run as Lead Actors or be split into Lead and Supporting races.

“We haven’t had those deep discussions just yet,” he said. “I know Marvel has been around for a minute, but we’re always still learning because we’re always trying new things. So yeah, we don’t really have a strategy so far.”

From the onset, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” was often labeled a miniseries, though Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige did state in February that the studio was looking at specific shows to carry multiple seasons.

“The fun of the MCU is obviously all of the crossover that we can do between series, between films,” Feige said during the Television Critics Association winter press tour. “So it will always vary based on the story. Sometimes they’ll go into a Season 2, sometimes it will go into a feature and then back into a series. We’ve announced that ‘Ms. Marvel,’ after her debut on Disney Plus, will be going into the second “Captain Marvel” film. But sometimes — it’s yet to be announced, but we are thinking of planning second seasons for some of the upcoming series.”

When asked if any upcoming Marvel series are on a similar track to support multiple seasons, like “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” Moore pointed to “Loki,” starring Tom Hiddleston.

“The one that comes to mind — and that probably isn’t a secret — I think there’s a lot of storytelling in ‘Loki’ that’s really irreverent and clever and cool, but also lends itself to multiple seasons in a way where it’s not a one-off,” Moore said. “Tom Hiddleston, I think, is doing some of his best work on that show. It really is kind of amazing. I think of all the great stuff he’s done, but this show is going to show such different sides and really the true scope of his range. I think that show is going to surprise a lot of people.”

“Loki” is slated to premiere June 11 on Disney+. The season finale of “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” will debut Friday, April 23. Voting for the 2021 Emmys will be held from June 17 through June 28, 2021.
 
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