Netflix
If you’ve been wondering about the fate of The Defenders, or why it’s taking so dang long for the third season of Stranger Things to be released, we’ve got some news for you.
Speaking at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, Netflix’s VP of original content Cindy Holland discussed both of those and other topics, as well as why the pacing of some of their shows seem a little slow.
As for whether or not (a) Netflix has room for more Marvel shows, and (b) they even have access to more with Disney launching its own streaming service, Holland says the answer is not “no.”
“The original agreement with Marvel Television was for four series, plus The Defenders miniseries. We added The Punisher along the way. And always an ongoing discussion about spinning off additional characters into additional properties,” said Holland, adding, “I don’t have anything to share.”
Many are hoping those “ongoing discussions” are revolving around a possible Daughters of the Dragon series for Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick) and Misty Knight (Simone Missick).
Netflix
With regard to that pacing issue that seems to have plagued several Netflix shows, especially Marvel series like Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, both of which seemed more sluggish in their second seasons, Holland explained, “In some of the earlier negotiations and deals that we did with third-party studios, we were sort of hamstrung a little bit by the convention of the 13-episode cable series pattern. And if you look at the content that we’ve been making out of Netflix Studios and even with third-party partners now, often the seasons are generally no more than 10 episodes.”
The Defenders was one of those Marvel shows that received criticism for slow pacing, among other things, but that doesn’t mean it’s completely dead yet with Holland saying, “It could be possible, there are no plans at this time.” She also stated that they “haven’t made any firm decisions yet” on a third season for Luke Cage.
Speaking third seasons, what is taking Stranger Things so long to come back?
According to Holland there’s a good reason, “There are more special effects, and I think it’s going to be a really exciting season, but it just takes a little more time. It’s a hand-crafted show. The Duffer Brothers and Shawn Levy have worked really hard, and they understand the stakes are high. They want to deliver something bigger and better than what they did last year. I think it’s going to be a fantastic season, worth the wait.”
We certainly hope so.