Squirrel Girl, the most powerful superhero in the Marvel Universe, is finally getting a TV show. Marvel announced that the beloved rodent-themed hero will star in a live-action New Warriors series on the Freeform channel. This is all a lot to take in.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kevin Biegel, who got his comedy chops working on Cougar Town and Scrubs, will write the script and serve as the showrunner. The series should premiere sometime in 2018, following the debut of Marvel’s first Freeform series, Cloak and Dagger. There was buzz about a possible New Warriors show last summer, but Wednesday’s announcement makes it official.
Squirrel Girl, a longstanding “joke” Marvel character who is enjoying a wave of popularity thanks to an ongoing comic series penned by Dinosaur Comics scribe Ryan North, won’t be the only hero on the show. The New Warriors are a group of six young, would-be Avengers who are dealing with fighting crime and bumbling their way into adulthood. Marvel hasn’t announced who the other five heroes are going to be yet.
Heck yeah.
Anna Kendrick and Stranger Things breakout star Shannon Purser have both expressed interest in playing Squirrel Girl in the past, and Karey Burke, the executive vice president of programming and development at Freeform, told THR that they’re being considered.
“Those names have come up!” he said. “This network has made a lot of stars and we’re in a unique position with Squirrel Girl and Marvel. The character is such a calling card. I’m interested to see if name actresses feel right for it.”
The new series probably won’t be in the same continuity as other Marvel TV shows like Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D., according to Burke.
