Marvel Phase 4 Leak Reveals 'WandaVision' May Release Sooner Than Expected

On the heels of Disney announcing the release date of its new streaming service, Disney+, comes a production leak that suggests WandaVision will begin filming sooner than anticipated.

ProductionList.com reports that the series will begin shooting on September 21, 2019 despite a release date time frame of spring 2021 on Disney+. That date is far earlier than expected, especially since WandaVision isn’t meant to premiere for another year and a half after that. (It also seems to confirm the show will premiere on the earlier side of Spring.) However, there might be a reason Disney is rushing to have all the episodes available far in advance of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

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Though not much is known about WandaVision’s plot details, Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany are set to reprise their respective roles as Scarlet Witch and Vision. Given that our favorite Marvel witch will then appear in the Doctor Strange sequel, we can safely presume that her appearance in the Phase Four film might actually introduce the concept of the multiverse. After all, Wanda is capable of manipulating reality, and the events of her series might directly set up Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Interestingly, Wanda Maximoff and Doctor Stephen Strange have yet to formally meet, though they’ve been in two Avengers movies together. Obviously, they were both preoccupied with Thanos’ threat during Infinity War and Endgame, so they never actually had a chance to interact. But of all the characters in the MCU, it’s Doctor Strange and Wanda who understand the use of magic and how their abilities can be used to warp and shape reality. Together, they’d be unstoppable.

But let’s backtrack. If WandaVision is a direct tie-in with Doctor Strange 2, wouldn’t Disney want it to premiere in 2021? Why film so far in advance if the release date hasn’t changed? After all, the series is only meant to have six episodes. For a normal television series, that would take two or three months to shoot, but this could be a hint at the scale of production on these Disney+ series. Many TV productions talk about filming six-hour movies and airing them as episodes, but Marvel’s Disney+ shows might actually do exactly that.

Obviously, the leak has yet to be confirmed and we won’t know when filming actually begins until it does (thanks to paparazzi). Perhaps location scouting is starting early or scheduling conflicts have forced the production to start sooner rather than later. Could another Disney+ series be using the multiverse and WandaVision is needed to set up the exposition in advance? Did Marvel’s schedule change?

Whatever the reason, it’s hard to tell without any additional information. Marvel tends to be firm with regards to its release dates and it’s rare that they change, especially not so soon following the announcement of its premiere at San Diego Comic-Con. While this information should clearly be taken with a grain of salt, it’s definitely piqued our interest.

WandaVision will debut on Disney+ in the Spring of 2021.