Posted in: Disney+, Marvel, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: bleeding cool, cable, disney, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, loki, marvel, Marvel Studios, Michael Waldron, owen wilson, preview, richard e grant, rick and morty, sophia di martino, streaming, television, tom hiddleston, tv

"Loki" Scribe Drawn to, Focuses on Character's "Struggle With Identity"

Disney+ has a heavy couple of months ahead when it comes to the Marvel Studios side of the universe. With television and streaming productions shuttered left and right over the coronavirus pandemic, the relatively new streaming service is only months away from premiering it's first two live-action series: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and WandaVision. So with all of that uncertainty, things are a bit stressful – and that's not taking into account how it could "ripple effect" 2021 series such as Loki, Hawkeye, What If…?, etc.

One person who hasn't taken a break from keeping his sights set on next year is Loki series showrunner, writer, and executive producer Michael Waldron (Rick and Morty) who discussed the upcoming series on a recent edition of The Writers Panel podcast, hosted by Ben Blacker. For Waldron, the thing that attracted him the most to the character was his search for his own identity and sense of control, as well as the chance to tell Loki's "semi-redemption" backstory:

"I think it's the struggle with identity, who you are, who you want to be. I'm really drawn to characters who are fighting for control. Certainly, you see that with Loki over the first 10 years of movies, he's out of control at pivotal parts of his life, he was adopted and everything and that manifests itself through anger and spite towards his family."

You can listen to Waldron's comments on The Writers Panel podcast below, which also includes Michael Grassi (creator, Katy Keene), and Nico Raineau and Lauren Schacher (director/co-writers, Hooking Up):

With Waldron writing, serving as showrunner, and executive producing, and Kate Herron set to direct all episodes and executive produce, Loki also stars Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, and Richard E. Grant – and is set to premiere in early 2021.

"Loki": How We Got Here…

At San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2019, Hiddleston revealed that the series' version of Loki will be an Avengers-era one: the evil and selfish villain – before his "redemption arc" began in Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok, and Avengers: Infinity War.

"You guys saw Avengers right? So he's still that guy. And just about the last thing that happened to him was he got Hulk-smashed. So there's a lot of psychological evolution that is still yet to happen. Kevin [Feige] has generally shown me what his plans are. I can't tell you any of them, but it is one of the most exciting creative opportunities I think I've ever come across. This is new territory, a new world, new challenges, and I cannot wait to get started."

– Tom Hiddleston

In August 2019, Hiddleston let fans know when production was beginning on the 2021 series as well as what he's looking forward to:

"Loki will start at the top of next year. He's such a classical character. [Thor and Loki], they're from Norse myths — they have a kind of gravitas to them. Robert in Betrayal is much more earthbound. They're both very complex, but Robert is a publisher and a husband and a father. Loki is the god of mischief. [Laughs] Two quite different figures."

Hiddleston took to Instagram at the end of 2019 to post a photo of himself, Herron, and others out for what looks like the beginning of a pre-holiday meal. Hiddleston confirmed prep work was underway and that they'll be seeing us "in the New Year". Last month, Hiddleston posted a video via Instagram showing that the actor ws clearly back to stunt training.

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