Agatha: Coven Of Chaos Finds Its Directors In Jac Schaefer, Gandja Monteiro, And Rachel Goldberg
Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to get underway this year with the release of three new tentpole films and twice as many Disney+ shows. Bringing up the rear on the TV side of things is "Agatha: Coven of Chaos," which rolls cameras in Atlanta next week and is due for a late 2023 release (after a busy streaming slate that includes "Secret Invasion," "Echo," "Ironheart," and the second seasons of "Loki" and the animated "What If...?")
Ahead of its production start, "Agatha: Coven of Chaos" (formerly titled "Agatha: House of Harkness") has now locked in its directors, according The Hollywood Reporter.
A spin-off of Marvel's very first Disney+ series, "WandaVision," "Agatha: Coven of Chaos" centers on Kathryn Hahn's character, Agatha Harkness, who spent much of her previous screen time disguising herself as Wanda's nosy neighbor, Agnes. It was only toward the end of the seventh episode of "WandaVision" that viewers learned Agnes/Agatha's true witchy nature, to the tune of the Emmy-winning, retro-sitcom jingle "Agatha All Along."
"Agatha: Coven of Chaos" hails from the same series creator as "WandaVision," Jac Schaeffer, who also helped conceive the story for "Black Widow," the first MCU film to be solo-directed by a woman (Cate Shortland, with Anna Fleck having co-directed "Captain Marvel"). This time, Schaeffer will go beyond writing and producing and serve as director of more than one episode of "Agatha: Coven of Chaos," per THR.
Also on deck to direct is Gandja Monteiro, who took over from none other than Tim Burton to helm a couple of episodes in the back half of recent Netflix hit "Wednesday." Rounding out the directing crew for "Agatha: Coven of Chaos" is Rachel Goldberg, whose TV resume includes Marvel's "Cloak & Dagger."
A magical cast
While there's no firm info yet on how many episodes there will be and who will direct which episodes, it's looking like "Agatha: Coven of Chaos" will build on recent behind-the-scenes strides made by "She-Hulk: Attorney at Law," continue to depart from the MCU's track record as a boys' club, and be helmed exclusively by female directors. The series is also shaping up to be a reunion for a good number of returning "WandaVision" cast members, including Emma Caulfield, Debra Jo Rupp, David Payton, David Lengel, Asif Ali, Amos Glick, Brian Brightman, and Kate Forbes.
It's as if the whole fictional town of Westview, New Jersey is turning out for this thing. New additions to the cast of "Agatha: Coven of Chaos" include Aubrey Plaza, whose turn as the Shadow King on FX's "Legion" has already earned her a place in the Marvel villain hall of fame. Also on board is Broadway legend Patti Lupone, seen previously as a hedge witch on "Penny Dreadful."
With them are Joe Locke, Sasheer Zamata, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Okwui Okpokwasili, and Maria Dizzia. But of course, anchoring the whole thing is the presence of Kathryn Hahn, who now has a well-fortified crew of directors and cast members behind her as she looks to cast a spell on viewers again in "Agatha: Coven of Chaos" later this year.