Michael Waldron is finally talking Nova. Sort of.
Promoting Season 2 of Chad Powers in an interview with TheWrap, the writer developing Marvel’s Nova movie wouldn’t confirm his own involvement, but he made his allegiance clear.
I don’t know if I can say anything about anything I’m doing with Marvel. But I will say, I love Nova. I love Rich Rider. However we expand the cosmic side of the MCU will be really cool.
Note he said Rich Rider. Not Sam Alexander.
These are Waldron’s first comments on Nova since Deadline reported in July that he’s writing the movie with an eye to direct, and since Kevin Feige confirmed Nova is a movie at Comic-Con.
Recall it all started with the WGA listing I reported on July 8.
Annihilation is “the go-to”
Asked for his favorite Richard Rider story, with TheWrap’s Casey Loving naming Annihilation, Waldron agreed: “‘Annihilation’ is, I mean, I guess that’s the go-to, right?”
He added that the character spans generations, and said that’s why it’s taken so long to get Nova to the screen: figuring out where to start the story. On Earth, or in space with the Nova Corps.
Then he caught himself: “Whoever does it, I hope they do a good job.”
As I’ve said, the movie is Annihilation: Marv Wolfman through the Abnett and Lanning era, and nothing from the last decade-plus of the comics.
“They would have to reckon with that”
The best part of the interview is Waldron refusing to say “I.”
Loving pointed out that the Nova Corps got wiped out in Infinity War, something any Nova story would have to deal with.
“They would have to reckon with that. Yeah,” Waldron said.
“They. They sure would,” Loving shot back.
“They, yeah, someone would have to reckon with that,” Waldron said.
Whoever. Someone. They. Sure, Michael.
And for the record, Xandar’s off-screen destruction at the start of Infinity War is the literal springboard for Annihilation, where Richard Rider becomes the last Nova standing. The reckoning writes itself.
Back on Doomsday and Secret Wars
Waldron also confirmed he’s back in the room on both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, working alongside Stephen McFeely and the Spider-Man duo of Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers.
Per Waldron, he was on the Avengers movies for a long time, stepped away to make Chad Powers when McFeely and the Russos came aboard, returned to help, left again for Season 2, and is now back helping with McKenna and Sommers on board.
Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters December 18.
Chad Powers Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming on Hulu, and Waldron said he and Glen Powell would kill to make a third season and finish the story. After that, somebody has a cosmic reckoning waiting. Whoever he is.
