Preview:
- Emily Hampshire is joining the ‘WandaVision’ spin-off focused on Vision.
- She’ll play the AI tech system E.D.I.T.H. as seen in ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home.’
- Paul Bettany returns to star as Vision.
The cast continues to grow for Marvel’s second spin-off from successful original MCU Disney+ offering ‘WandaVision.’ Though the title has officially yet to be confirmed, we do know that it’ll be focused on Paul Bettany’s Vision following the events of the show.
And now, via Deadline (though actually confirming a report from regular Twitter scooper Daniel Richtman), word arrives that ‘Schitt’s Creek’s Emily Hampshire will be part of the ensemble.
ybWnH3OtcpNRpnPfmNmAT1According to both sources, Hampshire is aboard to play E.D.I.T.H., the sophisticated artificial intelligence (the name is an acronym for Even Dead, I’m The Hero), Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.) augmented reality security and defense system.
In the MCU, E.D.I.T.H. was originally created by Stark and bequeathed to Peter Parker (Tom Holland) following Stark’s death and seen in ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home.’ It provides access to Stark Industries’ global satellite network along with an arsenal of missiles and drones.
It remains to be seen how E.D.I.T.H. shows up in the series –– in the Spidey movie, the system was voiced by Dawn Michelle King, who served as first assistant editor and presumably was only going to serve as the initial version of the role, but was good enough that director Jon Watts kept her performance.
Hampshire’s casting, though, suggests we’re likely to see a humanoid version of the tech.
Related Article: Marvel’s Disney+ ‘Vision’ Series Adding Actor T’Nia Miller as Jocasta
What’s the story of the ‘Vision’ series?
There are no concrete plot details about the new show yet, but back when it was first mooted, there was talk of the “White” Vision looking to reclaim his memories, in a continuation of his storyline.
After Vision died at the hands of Thanos in 2018’s ‘Avengers: Infinity War,’ he returned twice over in 2021’s ‘WandaVision,’ first as a spectral creation by his beloved, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), through magic powered by grief; then as a rebuilt, nuts-and-bolts android with a ghost white appearance and zero memory of his past life.
When the two Visions battled in the ‘WandaVision’ finale, Wanda’s Vision restored the “ghost” Vision’s memories, then Wanda allowed her Vision to fade from existence. The new show will take place after those events, as ghost Vision presumably explores his new purpose in life.
Who is making the ‘Vision’ series?
Unlike last year’s ‘Agatha All Along’, (one of Marvel’s bigger successes in 2024) the new show is being handled by someone other than ‘WandaVision’ creator Jac Schaeffer.
Marvel has hired Terry Matalas, who has worked on shows such as ’12 Monkeys’, ‘Terra Nova’, but rose to acclaim thanks to his efforts overseeing ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 3, which definitely pleased fans more than earlier seasons, to run the new ‘Vision’ series.
His work on ‘Picard’ certainly caught the attention of avowed ‘Trek’ fan Kevin Feige, and so Matalas now has the job. The only people who might be upset are those eagerly awaiting the much-talked-about ‘Star Trek: Legacy’ show seemingly set up by the finale of ‘Picard’.
Who else is in the ‘Vision’ series?
So far, we’ve learned that James Spader, who played the rampaging AI who caused so much trouble for the Avengers in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ and effectively created the original version of Vision, will once more be back in performance capture gear to play the speechifying villain.
Known for playing stern authoritarian types and generally grouchy personalities (witness his superbly sarcastic –– but ultimately heroic –– Captain Liam Shaw in ‘Picard’), Todd Stashwick will be an assassin who is on the trail of the android and the technology he possesses.
Faran Tahir will reprise the role of the villainous Raza, leader of the terrorist organization the Ten Rings who tried to kill Tony Stark in ‘Iron Man.’ Though quite how his connection to the Rings organization works in the wake of ‘Shang-Chi’ remains to be seen.
Then we have Ruaridh Mollica, who will play a character named Tucker.
And, most recently, ‘Foundation’s T’Nia Miller was added as Jocasta, described as cunning and vengeful, with a grudge against Ultron. In the comics, she is a robot Ultron builds to be his bride who eventually sides with the Avengers. We’d have to imagine that Matalas and his writers have some other ideas for her storyline in the show.
Where else have we seen Emily Hampshire?
Hampshire played Stevie Budd for the entire run of ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ scoring plenty of acclaim, including several Canadian acting awards.
But perhaps more pertinently for this series, she was also a key component of the cast for Matalas’ ‘12 Monkeys.’
Other credits include movies such as ‘The Death & Life of John F. Donovan,’ ‘The End of Sex,’ ‘Self Reliance,’ ‘Humane’ and the upcoming crime comedy ‘Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice,’ which is currently in post-production awaiting a release date.
When will the ‘Vision’ series land on our screens?
Disney/Marvel is aiming to have the show arrive on Disney+ in 2026, with filming underway in the UK.
Other Movies and TV Shows Featuring Vision:
- ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron‘ (2015)
- ‘Captain America: Civil War‘ (2016)
- ‘Avengers: Infinity War‘ (2018)
- ‘Avengers: Endgame‘ (2019)
- ‘WandaVision‘ (2021)
- ‘What If…?‘ (2021 – 2023)
