Ed Harris is reportedly on his way to the MCU in the upcoming Wonder Man Disney+ series.
Harris has appeared in countless notable movies over the years including The Truman Show, Apollo 13, Top Gun: Maverick, and more, having also played a starring role as the Man in Black in all four seasons of HBO’s Westworld.
The actor has garnered great acclaim, having received four acting Oscar nominations for Apollo 13, The Truman Show, Pollock, and The Hours, but was unfortunately beaten out every time.
Ed Harris Lands MCU Disney+ Role: Is He a Villain?
Speaking on The Hot Mic podcast, insider Jeff Sneider reported Top Gun: Maverick actor Ed Harris has been cast in Disney+’s Wonder Man. Harris will supposedly play Simon Williams’ Hollywood agent, known to comic readers as Neal Saroyan.
Those familiar with Wonder Man will be aware the hero is an actor-turned-superhero, which is why his Disney+ show will be a “Hollywood satire” that even takes place in tinsel town. Williams’ agent Saroyan was often used in Marvel Comics as a tool to facilitate satire and commentary on Hollywood.
When sharing the scoop, Sneider indicated Harris will play an “agent and possible villain,” indicating his character may take an evil turn. Saroyan has long been a somewhat villainous character, driven by publicity, who has even sent dangerous villains after Wonder Man to garner attention in the comics.
Reports previously claimed Marvel Studios was eyeing Better Call Saul‘s Bob Odenkirk for a key role in Wonder Man, which most assumed to be Saroyan.
Wonder Man’s Fast-Approaching MCU Debut
The last production update on Wonder Man came in February, claiming filming was set to begin in late March, or, in other words, right around now. And the show is certainly showing signs of heading into production, having even just found its villain as a Fear the Walking Dead star was cast as the Grim Reaper.
Already onboard for Wonder Man is Yahya Abdul-Marteen II as the titular lead, with him being joined by a familiar MCU face in Sir Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery. Rumors have pointed to them being joined by acting veteran Werner Herzog and Mindhunter‘s Lauren Glazier.
Clearly, this cast is stacked, and it’s even coming from Shang-Chi and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty director Destin Daniel Cretton. Assuming the planned late March production plan still holds, filming could commence anytime from now, but what’s far less clear is when it will actually make its way to Disney+.
In terms of releases that are expected for 2024, Echo and Ironheart have already wrapped, production is underway on Daredevil: Born Again and Agatha: Coven of Chaos, and Wonder Man is about to film. With the MCU said to be cutting back its annual Disney+ output, several of these probably won’t come until 2025.
Since Wonder Man has still yet to actually see a formal announcement, it may be one of the slightly further out releases. Perhaps it may only be filming so soon due to the directorial involvement of Cretton who will soon need to turn his primary attention to 2025’s The Kang Dynasty.
Wonder Man has yet to set an official release date.
