Marvel Studios: Assembled | |
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Genre | |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of specials | 21 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Producers |
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Cinematography |
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Editors |
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Running time | 41–66 minutes |
Production company | Marvel Studios |
Original release | |
Network | Disney+ |
Release | March 12, 2021 present | –
Related | |
Marvel Studios: Legends |
Marvel Studios: Assembled is an American anthology television docuseries of specials created for the streaming service Disney+. Produced by Marvel Studios, each special goes behind-the-scenes of a Marvel Studios Disney+ series or film, particularly those within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), with the creatives, exploring the process of creating each series or film.
The series was first announced in February 2021. Marvel Studios: Assembled premiered on March 12, 2021, with subsequent specials releasing shortly after a Disney+ series' completion or a film's Disney+ release. 14 specials were released for Phase Four of the MCU, followed by specials releasing for Phase Five and the first season of the Marvel Studios Animation series X-Men '97 (2024). It received positive responses for showcasing how each series or film came together, particularly with the technical aspects and franchise connectivity.
The series goes behind-the-scenes of a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Disney+ series or film with the creatives, exploring the process of creating each series or film. [1]
Marvel Studios: Assembled was announced in February 2021 as a documentary series of television specials to go behind-the-scenes with an "in-depth examination" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) television series and films in the franchise's Phase Four slate of content. Each "making of" special follows the filmmakers and the cast and crew members during the production of each project, with exclusive on-set footage used to compile the specials in the series. Assembled was announced to premiere on March 12, 2021, with a special for WandaVision (2021), with specials for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021), the first season of Loki (2021), and Hawkeye (2021), along with the film Black Widow (2021), also revealed. [1] Later in March, ahead of the premiere of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, its special was revealed to release on April 30, 2021. [2] [3] Shortly after the premiere of Loki in June, that series' special was revealed to release on July 21, 2021. [4] The first three specials debuted one week after the release of each series' finale. [5] [3] [4] In September 2021, the Black Widow special was revealed to be releasing on October 20, 2021, while a special for What If...? was announced for October 27. [6] In November, a special for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was announced to be releasing on November 12, 2021, to coincide with the Disney+ release of that film as part of the service's " Disney+ Day" celebration. [7]
In December 2021, it was announced that Hawkeye's special would be released on January 19, 2022, [8] though this was moved to February 9, 2022, in January 2022. At the same time, the special for Eternals (2021) was announced to be released on February 16. [9] In April 2022, a special for Moon Knight (2022) was revealed to be releasing on May 11, 2022, [10] ultimately releasing on May 25. [11] In June 2022, a special for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) was revealed to be releasing on July 1, 2022, [12] before being pushed back and releasing a week later on July 8. [13] In July, a special for Ms. Marvel (2022) was revealed to be releasing on August 3, 2022. [14] The following month, it was announced that the special for Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) would be released on September 8, 2022, for Disney+ Day. [15] In October, a special for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022) was revealed to be releasing on November 3, 2022. [16] In January 2023, a special for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) was revealed to be releasing on February 8. [17] In May 2023, a special for the Phase Five film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) was revealed to be releasing on June 14, 2023, [18] ultimately releasing on July 19. [19] In August, specials for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Secret Invasion were revealed to be releasing on September 13, and September 20, 2023. [20] In October, a special for the second season of Loki was revealed to be releasing on November 29, 2023, [21] ultimately released on November 22. [22] In December, a special for Echo was revealed to be releasing on January 31, 2024, [23] and that month, a special for The Marvels was revealed to be releasing on February 7. [24] In April 2024, a special for the first season of the non-MCU Marvel Studios Animation series X-Men '97 was revealed to be releasing on May 22, 2024. [25]
Commentators called Assembled a companion series to fellow Marvel Studios docuseries Marvel Studios: Legends, which releases before a series or film to help inform viewers about relevant events to that series or film, [26] [27] while Hoai-Tran Bui and Ethan Anderton of /Film, and ComicBook.com's Charlie Ridgley each noted the similarities to the Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian documentary series for the Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian. [26] [5] [28] Ridgley and Matt Miller at Game Informer noted Assembled allowed Marvel Studios to provide more insight on how their content is produced and answer questions audiences may have regarding them. [28] [29] David Wolinsky of GameSpot felt Assembled was a "promising follow-up" to Marvel's Behind the Mask (2021), a fellow documentary series that showcased the inspiration behind Marvel's comic book heroes. [30]
Phase | Specials | Originally released | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First released | Last released | |||
Four | 14 | March 12, 2021 | February 8, 2023 | |
Five | 7 | July 19, 2023 | TBA |
No. overall |
No. in phase | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [a] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | "The Making of WandaVision " | Bradford Baruh | Meghan Leon | March 12, 2021 | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making of
WandaVision, with
head writer
Jac Schaeffer, series director
Matt Shakman, stars
Elizabeth Olsen,
Paul Bettany,
Debra Jo Rupp,
Kathryn Hahn,
Teyonah Parris,
Randall Park,
Kat Dennings, and
Evan Peters, theme song composers
Robert Lopez and
Kristen Anderson-Lopez, and additional creatives. Discussion includes the classic sitcoms that inspired the series, how the crew emulated the production processes of early sitcoms, and the experience of filming in front of a live studio audience for the first episode, "
Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience". | ||||||
2 | 2 | "The Making of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier " | Bradford Baruh | Meghan Leon | April 30, 2021 | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making of
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, with head writer
Malcolm Spellman, series director
Kari Skogland, stars
Anthony Mackie,
Sebastian Stan,
Wyatt Russell,
Erin Kellyman,
Don Cheadle,
Daniel Brühl,
Emily VanCamp,
Florence Kasumba,
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and
Clé Bennett, executive producer Nate Moore, and additional creatives. Discussion includes the importance of exploring racism within the narrative, as well as the series' action scenes and the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic on the production of the series. | ||||||
3 | 3 | "The Making of Loki " | Bradford Baruh | Meghan Leon | July 21, 2021 | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making of
Loki, with head writer
Michael Waldron, series director
Kate Herron, stars
Tom Hiddleston,
Gugu Mbatha-Raw,
Wunmi Mosaku,
Owen Wilson,
Sophia Di Martino,
DeObia Oparei,
Richard E. Grant, and
Jonathan Majors, executive producer Stephen Broussard, and additional creatives. Discussion includes Hiddleston's history with the title character and the casting of other main characters as well as the design and filming of each episode. | ||||||
4 | 4 | "The Making of Black Widow " | Bradford Baruh | Brenton Covington | October 20, 2021 | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making of
Black Widow with director
Cate Shortland, several producers, and the cast members including
Scarlett Johansson,
Florence Pugh,
David Harbour,
Rachel Weisz,
Ray Winstone, and more. Discussion includes the journey of Black Widow in the MCU. | ||||||
5 | 5 | "The Making of What If...? " | Bradford Baruh | Meghan Leon | October 27, 2021 | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making of
What If...? with creator
A. C. Bradley, director
Bryan Andrews, animator
Stephan Franck, the producers, and actor
Jeffrey Wright. Discussion includes the idea of What If...?, the creation, the animating of the show, and the casting. | ||||||
6 | 6 | "The Making of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings " | Bradford Baruh | Amir Shoucri and Jason Hillhouse | November 12, 2021 | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making of
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings with director
Destin Daniel Cretton, several producers, and the cast members including
Simu Liu,
Awkwafina,
Meng'er Zhang,
Michelle Yeoh,
Ben Kingsley,
Tony Leung,
Benedict Wong and more. Discussion includes the introduction of a Chinese character into the MCU and examining aspects of the filming process. | ||||||
7 | 7 | "The Making of Hawkeye " | Bradford Baruh | Meghan Leon | February 9, 2022 | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making of
Hawkeye, with series directors
Rhys Thomas and
Bert & Bertie, stars
Jeremy Renner,
Hailee Steinfeld,
Tony Dalton,
Fra Fee,
Aleks Paunovic,
Piotr Adamczyk,
Vera Farmiga,
Alaqua Cox,
Florence Pugh,
Vincent D'Onofrio,
Carlos Navarro, Clayton English, Adelle Drahos, and Adetinpo Thomas, the producers, and additional creatives. Discussion includes the creation of the Broadway-style musical number "
Save the City" and the reintroduction of D'Onofrio as Kingpin. | ||||||
8 | 8 | "The Making of Eternals " | Bradley Hogan | Charlie Visnic | February 16, 2022 | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making of
Eternals with director
Chloé Zhao, several producers, and the cast members
Gemma Chan,
Richard Madden,
Kumail Nanjiani,
Angelina Jolie,
Lauren Ridloff,
Lia McHugh,
Brian Tyree Henry,
Barry Keoghan,
Don Lee,
Salma Hayek, and
Kit Harington. Discussion includes the set design, the costume design, the difficulties and benefits of shooting on location, and the diversity of the cast. | ||||||
9 | 9 | "The Making of Moon Knight " | Bradford Baruh | Amir Shoucri and Jason Hillhouse | May 25, 2022 | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making of
Moon Knight with series directors
Mohamed Diab,
Aaron Moorhead, and Justin Benson, stars
Oscar Isaac,
Ethan Hawke,
May Calamawy, Karim El Hakim, and Antonia Salib, the producers, and additional creatives. Discussion includes the depiction of
dissociative identity disorder, the creation of the Egyptian sets, and the difficulties of Isaac playing against himself. | ||||||
10 | 10 | "The Making of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness " | Bradford Baruh | Steve Elkins | July 8, 2022 | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making of
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness with director
Sam Raimi, writer
Michael Waldron, several producers, and the cast members
Benedict Cumberbatch,
Elizabeth Olsen,
Benedict Wong,
Rachel McAdams,
Chiwetel Ejiofor,
Xochitl Gomez, and
Bruce Campbell. Discussion includes continuing Stephen Strange's story post-Endgame, the set design, introducing the multiverse, America Chavez and the Illuminati, and the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic on the writing and production of the film. | ||||||
11 | 11 | "The Making of Ms. Marvel " | Bradford Baruh | Meghan Leon | August 3, 2022 | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making of
Ms. Marvel with
head writer
Bisha K. Ali, character creator
Sana Amanat, the series' directors, stars
Iman Vellani,
Matt Lintz,
Yasmeen Fletcher,
Zenobia Shroff,
Mohan Kapur, Saagar Shaikh, Laurel Marsden,
Rish Shah,
Nimra Bucha,
Farhan Akhtar, and
Aramis Knight, and additional creatives. Discussion includes the parallels between actress Iman Vellani and her character
Kamala Khan, the importance of Kamala's family and friends within the series, the Order of the Red Dagger, AvengerCon, recreating
Karachi on location in
Thailand, and bringing the real-life event of the
Partition of India into the story. | ||||||
12 | 12 | "The Making of Thor: Love and Thunder " | Bradford Baruh | Brandon Bestenheider and Brenton Covington | September 8, 2022 | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making of
Thor: Love and Thunder with director and actor
Taika Waititi, co-writer
Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, cast members
Chris Hemsworth,
Natalie Portman,
Tessa Thompson, and
Christian Bale, and additional creatives. Discussion includes the challenges involved in taking
Thor in new directions in a fourth film, reintroducing Portman into the franchise, shooting at the Volume, adapting children's drawings for the monster design,
Russell Crowe's role as
Zeus, and the weapon prop design. | ||||||
13 | 13 | "The Making of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law " | Bradford Baruh | Meghan Leon | November 3, 2022 | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making of
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law with cast members
Tatiana Maslany,
Jameela Jamil,
Josh Segarra,
Mark Ruffalo,
Tim Roth,
Benedict Wong, and
Charlie Cox, and additional creatives. Discussion includes handling the tone and
She-Hulk
breaking the fourth wall, and making Marvel Studios' first comedic series. | ||||||
14 | 14 | "The Making of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever " | Bradford Baruh | Brandon Bestenheider and Brenton Covington | February 8, 2023 | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making of
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever with director
Ryan Coogler, cast members
Letitia Wright,
Danai Gurira,
Lupita Nyong'o,
Winston Duke,
Angela Bassett,
Tenoch Huerta Mejía,
Mabel Cadena, Alex Livinalli, and
Dominique Thorne, and additional creatives. Discussion includes the death of
Chadwick Boseman, the expansion of
Wakanda, the
Mesoamerican influence in the design of Talokan, the challenges of filming underwater, the film's stunt sequences, and the character arc of Shuri. |
No. overall |
No. in phase | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [a] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
15 | 1 | "The Making of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania " | Bradford Baruh | Brandon Bestenheider and Brenton Covington | July 19, 2023 | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making of
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania with director
Peyton Reed, cast members
Paul Rudd,
Evangeline Lilly,
Jonathan Majors,
Kathryn Newton,
David Dastmalchian,
Katy O'Brian,
Michelle Pfeiffer,
Corey Stoll, and
Michael Douglas, and additional creatives. Discussion includes the creation of the
Quantum Realm, fully introducing Majors as major Marvel villain
Kang the Conqueror,
Janet van Dyne's story in the Quantum Realm, and the character arc of
Cassie Lang, now a young adult played by Newton. | ||||||
16 | 2 | "The Making of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 " | Bradford Baruh | Meghan Leon | September 13, 2023 | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making of
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 with director
James Gunn, cast members
Zoe Saldana,
Chris Pratt,
Karen Gillan,
Dave Bautista,
Sean Gunn,
Chukwudi Iwuji,
Vin Diesel,
Will Poulter, and
Bradley Cooper, and additional creatives. Discussion includes wrapping up the Guardians trilogy in a meaningful and emotional way, the relationship and history between Rocket Raccoon and the High Evolutionary, fully introducing Adam Warlock and Cosmo, the Guardians headquarters set on Knowhere, and creating Orgocorps' planet as well as their ideal society called Counter-Earth. | ||||||
17 | 3 | "The Making of Secret Invasion " | Bradford Baruh | Meghan Leon and Brandon Bestenheider and Brenton Covington | September 20, 2023 | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making of
Secret Invasion, with head writer
Kyle Bradstreet, series director
Ali Selim, cast members
Samuel L. Jackson,
Ben Mendelsohn,
Emilia Clarke,
Kingsley Ben-Adir,
Don Cheadle,
Cobie Smulders,
Olivia Colman, and additional creatives. | ||||||
18 | 4 | "The Making of Loki: Season 2" | Bradford Baruh | Meghan Leon | November 22, 2023 | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making of the
second season of
Loki, with head writer
Eric Martin, series directors
Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson, stars
Tom Hiddleston,
Sophia Di Martino,
Gugu Mbatha-Raw,
Wunmi Mosaku,
Owen Wilson,
Rafael Casal,
Kate Dickie,
Ke Huy Quan, and
Jonathan Majors, executive producer Stephen Broussard, and additional creatives. | ||||||
19 | 5 | "The Making of Echo " | Bradford Baruh | Brandon Bestenheider and Brenton Covington | January 31, 2024 | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making of
Echo, with head writers
Marion Dayre and
Amy Rardin, series director
Sydney Freeland, cast members
Alaqua Cox,
Vincent D'Onofrio,
Chaske Spencer,
Devery Jacobs,
Charlie Cox,
Cody Lightning,
Tantoo Cardinal, and additional creatives. Discussion includes Maya Lopez' journey after the events of Hawkeye, cast and crew members learning
ASL for the production of the series, collaborating with the
Choctaw nation, D'Onofrio's performance as
Kingpin, Maya's brief fight with
Daredevil, and creating the
powwow for the final episode. | ||||||
20 | 6 | "The Making of The Marvels " | N/A | Jesse Latour | February 7, 2024 | |
The special goes behind the scenes of the making of
The Marvels with director
Nia DaCosta, cast members
Brie Larson,
Teyonah Parris,
Iman Vellani, and
Zawe Ashton, and additional creatives. Discussion includes the dynamic between and character development of the three leads, the design of the quantum entanglement scenes, Carol Danvers's spaceship, creating the water planet Aladna, and bringing cats and kittens to set to portray Goose and the other Flerken. | ||||||
21 | 7 | "The Making of X-Men '97 " | Bradford Baruh | Meghan Leon | May 22, 2024 |
Marvel Studios: Assembled premiered on March 12, 2021, on Disney+. Additional specials are released shortly after a Disney+ series' completion or a film's Disney+ release. [1] The Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray releases for some of the series included their documentaries as bonus features. These included Loki season one's release on September 26, 2023, [31] WandaVision's on November 28, 2023, [32] and The Falcon and Winter Soldier and Moon Knight's on April 30, 2024. [33]
With the release of the special for WandaVision, Anderton recalled how Marvel Studios had gone from making the MCU as the "largest episodic experiment ever", according to that series' star Paul Bettany, into a "full fledged success" with its interconnectivity and felt Assembled allowed Marvel Studios to "dive into every aspect" of their upcoming productions, including the "spoiler-filled details" that were kept under wraps. [5] Elaine Low, writing for Variety, said the WandaVision special was a "delightful deep dive" that explored the "massive scale and breadth" of the visual effects used for its episodes and the production design. [34] Lucas Pearce at The People's Movies felt that special was a "great way to close the gap" between that series' finale by showing how it "all came together". [35]
Regarding the special for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Anderton felt as that series was more straightforward than WandaVision, it was less compelling or enthralling, [3] [36] but highlighted the technical aspects of that production he found "surprising", such as showcasing the use of real skydivers for some frames, and the use of visual effects for some backgrounds in action scenes and on Sam Wilson's Captain America suit. He particularly highlighted stars Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan joking around together and a single take scene of Daniel Brühl in character as Baron Helmut Zemo promoting a Sokovian clothing store called Suit-kovia for a "makeshift commercial", which was filmed at the Brass Monkey nightclub set that was used for the series' Madripoor setting. [36]
"The Making of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever " was nominated for Outstanding Variety, Sketch, or Talk – Series or Special at the 2023 Black Reel Awards. [37]
In November 2022, the documentary special Director by Night was released, going behind the scenes of the Marvel Studios Special Presentation Werewolf by Night (2022) with an emphasis on the life and career of its director and composer Michael Giacchino. [16]