Ed Harris is no stranger to the world of television, but the legendary actor could be making his first-ever appearance in the MCU.
Reports are swirling that Harris will soon join Wonder Man, a new Disney+ series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Abdul-Mateen II will lead the series as Simon Williams/Wonder Man, and scoopers note Harris is in line to play a major supporting player.
Jeff Sneider of The Hot Mic podcast revealed that Harris is in talks to play Neal Saroyan; the character is reportedly a vital role in the series as Neal Saroyan is the agent of Simon Williams, who, in the comics, also became a famous Hollywood celebrity.
It was also noted that Bob Odenkirk was initially considered for the role, but Marvel ultimately decided that Ed Harris was the best for this coveted part. Harris is best known for his work in films like Apollo 13 and The Truman Show but recently made a splash on the small screen as the Man in Black in the HBO series Westworld.
Meanwhile, in another piece of casting news for the series, it’s also been announced by TV Line that Demetrius Grosse (Fear the Walking Dead, Swagger) has been cast in the role of Eric Williams – the brother of Abdul-Mateen’s Simon Williams, who is also known as Grim Reaper, a scythe-wielding supervillain with coma-inducing powers.
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Wonder Man is based upon the character of Simon Williams, a supervillain-turned-Avenger created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Don Heck. Specific details on Marvel’s plans for the character are being kept under wraps, but we know that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will be joined in the cast by Ed Harris, Stella Meghie, Demetrius Grosse and Ben Kingsley, who reprises his Iron Man 3 and Shang-Chi role as Trevor Slattery. Production on the series is set to start this spring.