Not long ago, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirmed that they are currently developing a Nova series for Disney+, with Feige saying:
“It’s happening, it’s coming together. Richard Rider, yep.” When it was asked whether this would be in a movie or show format, Feige said, “A show, yeah, yeah.”
Now, Marvel Studios Head of Streaming, Television and Animation, Brad Winderbaum, is also talking about the project and offers a little bit of insight regarding what we can expect from the tone.
During a recent interview with the Phase Zero podcast, Winderbaum described the Nova series as an “amazing ensemble piece with a great cast of characters” and he indicated that both Richard Rider and Sam Alexander will appear.
He also said that the show will have “shades of” both Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica, which is something that I’m sure fans would embrace. It will be interesting to see how the tones of those shows translate to this Nova project.
It was previously reported that the show will focus on a “young lead,” which points to the most recent incarnation of the hero, Sam Alexander.
When previously talking about bringing Nova to life, Kevin Feige said: “Timing is relative, right? I think I’d been talking about Doctor Strange eight years before that movie came out.
“So, ‘immediate potential’ is relative. But clearly, we are not shying away from the cosmic end of storytelling right in the sweet spot of the Nova Corps and Nova himself.”
He also said: “Nova is… if we have a big board with a bunch of characters that have more immediate potential, Nova is on that board.”
Winderbaum said of the project: “We love Nova. We are in really early development on Nova. We have a new system behind the scenes at Marvel Studios.
“We’re more like a traditional studio now. We’re developing more than we actually will produce. There are plans to develop Nova. I love Nova, too. I love Rich Rider, too. I hope it gets to the screen.
“The world is always chaos. There’s always things. You gotta conjure these things to make them happen but I would love to see a Nova show, one day.”
In the comics, the Sam Alexander version of Nova is a 15 year old from Carefree, Arizona who lives with his parents and younger sister. He unexpectedly inherits the mantle of Nova after discovering his father’s past as a member of the intergalactic Nova Corps.
Struggling with the sudden responsibility and the mysteries surrounding his father’s disappearance, Sam dons the powerful Nova helmet, granting him extraordinary abilities such as superhuman strength, speed, and the ability to fly.
Guided by veteran heroes like Rocket Raccoon and Gamora, Sam learns to balance his newfound cosmic duties with the everyday challenges of teenage life. He strives to live up to the Nova Corps’ legacy and his father’s example.
I guess it makes sense that Marvel would go in this direction to appeal to the younger audiences. What do you think about the possibility of this version of the character being explored in the MCU?
