Posted in: Disney+, Hulu, streaming, TV | Tagged: animation, bleeding cool, cartoon, Hit-Monkey, howard the duck, hulu, jeph loeb, kevin feige, kevin smith, M.O.D.O.K., marvel, podcast, the offenders, Tigra & Dazzler Show

Kevin Smith Hears Hulu's Animated Marvel Slate "Still Alive": "So Far, So Good for 'Howard the Duck'"

There were rumblings once it was announced Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige was taking on the role of chief creative officer for all things Marvel Entertainment. Film, television, comics, Underoos – all the stuff that "The House of Mouse" has its tail wrapped around. That was seen as a potential problem for someone like Jeph Loeb, Marvel Television's resident mastermind (Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Daredevil, Jessica Jones) – especially with a new slate of animated series set up at Hulu (Howard the Duck, M.O.D.O.K., Hit-Monkey, Tigra & Dazzler Show, and The Offenders) – but more on that from Kevin Smith in a moment.

Many wondered how the two could/would work together, and they got their answer in October – with reports that Loeb would be stepping down from Marvel Studios before the end of the year – and then a very interesting (and we're sure purely coincidental) thing started to happen: We started seeing Marvel shows getting collectively "Loeb-otomized".

Though production and casting has moved forward on Marvel's Helstrom (possibly sensing a Lucifer fanbase it could tap into), what follows isn't an impressive scorecard:

Hulu's Marvel's Ghost Rider? Gone.

Hulu's Marvel's Runaways? Done in three.

Freeform's Marvel's Cloak and Dagger? Gone in two.

ABC's Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Done after this upcoming season.

Then came word of trouble within Hulu's upcoming slate animated series, Tigra & Dazzler Show showrunner Erica Rivinoja (Girls Trip, The Addams Family) and the project's writing team let go over "creative differences." Rivinoja's team had completed a number of scripts and script outlines, and were 15 weeks into the show's 20-week production cycle

Earlier this month, the other show dropped in a very big way, with news that Marvel TV as it's been known under Loeb's leadership will be phased out and absorbed into Marvel Studios. Staffing reductions will be in effect – though some executives will transition to Marvel Studios to oversee remaining Marvel TV projects.

Now Smith is offering an update with what he knows about the future of Hulu's full animated slate (Howard the Duck, M.O.D.O.K., Hit-Monkey, Tigra & Dazzler Show, and The Offenders) – and he's sounding cautiously optimistic.

In Fatman Beyond podcast episode #270 "Kevin Smith Returns" (with Marc Barnardin), Smith discussed the changes happening with Loeb and Fiege when he revealed what he had heard about the animated slate:

"I hear the Hulu shows are still alive. So far, so good for Howard the Duck. I'll let you know if anything happens."

You can listen to the segment below, starting around the 1:43.00 mark:

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!