Nothing is guaranteed in Hollywood. That’s definitely the case with Wonder Man, which was renewed for a second season on Disney+ in March, then suddenly canceled on Thursday.
The series was based on Marvel Comics characters and followed a group of individuals with superpowers as they tried to find their way in Hollywood.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II led the cast as struggling actor Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man, who formed an unlikely friendship with veteran actor Trevor Slattery, played by Oscar winner Ben Kingsley.
Abdul-Mateen shared news of the cancellation with fans July 30, on Instagram.
“Word just dropped that Wonder Man won’t be coming back for season 2. (And if you don’t knowww, now ya knoww!),” the actor shared. “That’s life, right? Everything will shake out.”
He expressed gratitude to fans for watching.
“I wanted to say thank you to everybody who WATCHED the show, ENJOYED the show, and SHARED that they enjoyed the show in some way or other. The show worked. And that’s my favorite thing about it,” Abdul-Mateen continued.
He even gave props to content creators and what he called “YouTube Reactors” for taking time to follow the show and post reaction videos online.
“(Because I watched along with y’all this time. Shoutout to y’all) and I can see in the messages I get saying how the show reminded some of you not to give up, and I feel it in the genuine love shared when I bump into some of you all during the day,” he continued. “So, thinking of you all today. I’m glad we got to be a part of something cool. Thank you for watching… And uhh… See you at the EMMYS.”
Earlier this month, Abdul-Mateen was nominated for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series Emmy Award. The winners will be announced in September.
He previously took home an Emmy for playing Cal Abar/Dr. Manhattan on HBO’s Watchmen.
Wonder Man debuted in January. The official description reads: “Aspiring Hollywood actor Simon Williams is struggling to get his career off the ground. During a chance meeting with Trevor Slattery, an actor whose biggest roles may be well behind him, Simon learns legendary director Von Kovak is remaking the superhero film Wonder Man. These two actors at opposite ends of their careers doggedly pursue life-changing roles in this film as audiences get a peek behind the curtain of the entertainment industry.”
The cast also included Zlatko Buric, X Mayo, Arian Moayed, and Dan Donohue.
Critics liked what they saw, and gave the show a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes. But Variety, which broke the news of the cancellation earlier today, reported a writers’ room for season 2 never materialized and the show’s writers were eventually released to pursue other projects.
Destin Daniel Cretton, who directed the 2021 Marvel film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, developed the series with head writer Andrew Guest.
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