Fingers crossed,Jac Schaefferis a name we’ll be hearing a lot more about in the years to come. Most recently, the writer, producer, and director was the creative force behind Marvel Studios' Emmy-winning Disney+ seriesWandaVision, which introduced viewers to the covenless witch Agatha Harkness, played deliciously byKathryn Hahn. The series rocked the Marvel Cinematic Universe, expanding on witches within the MCU, and gave Schaeffer an opening for yet another self-contained series,Agatha All Along, that both stands on its own and complements the larger narrative.
Following the events ofWandaVision, Agatha remains trapped in Wanda Maximoff’s (Elizabeth Olsen) spell, keeping her subdued as the nosy neighbor, Agnes, in Westview. However, while Agatha may have served as the antagonist in Wanda’s show, Hahn is the head honcho inAgatha All Along.She assembles a new coven (though things didn’tquitework out for her previous one) and starts off down the Witches' Road in search of what she’s missing.
With the first two episodes ofAgatha All Alongpremiering on Disney+ on September 18, Collider’sPerri Nemiroffsat down with Schaeffer for a spoiler-free conversation about the real-life magic behind the upcoming series.
What Happened to Agatha After ‘WandaVision’?
According toWandaVision, the MCU’s Agatha Harkness is a witch who not only dabbled but began to master the craft of Dark Magic over centuries. After murdering her entire coven in Salem, Massachusetts — following their attempt to punish her for using said magic — Agatha went solo and used theDarkhold, furthering her corruption. After sensing powerful magic, she sidled close to the grieving Wanda in Westview, hoping to absorb this Chaos Magic. Ultimately, however, Agatha was found out and condemned to the life of “Agnes,” the nosy neighbor, and stripped of her magic.
So, what was Agatha’s fate? In keeping with the television theme, it seems Agatha is still trapped — this time, according to Schaeffer, “as the trope-y female lady detective in a true crime procedural drama show.” The showrunner tells Perri this idea “always existed.” In fact, Schaeffer says, “From the very beginning, I had the concept for the pilot.” She continued, “That was the thing that I was itching to do the most, and I had the opportunity to direct it, which was so great.”
But Perri was curious about how the plot forAgatha All Alongtransformed along the way, to which Schaeffer explained:
“The journey that we had her going on was the question. Was it a two-hander? Was it an ensemble? Those are the pieces that really evolved the most dramatically from the initial conceit into what it became.”
The journey plus a little more. “To be perfectly honest,” the writer and director admits, “if I couldreallyanswer that question, it would be way too spoilery, so I can’t really get into it.” Color usintrigued.
How Does ‘Agatha All Along’ Fit Into the MCU?
SinceIron Man(2008), Marvel Studios has crafted an epic cinematic universe (theMCU) that weaves iconic Marvel characters into intertwined blockbusters. In recent years, these superhero stories have branched into the “Multiverse Saga,” and it’s this break that allowed for unbelievable stories, likeLoki,What If…?, andWandaVision, to be told. Now,Agatha All Alongis a part of this Dark Magic exploration that was expanded inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Being a spin-off series, it’s inherently tied to what came before, but with Marvel Studios,shows and movies are often opportunities to set up future projects, as well. Just look atDeadpool & Wolverine. Not only is this a huge responsibility for creators, but it can also lead to even the biggest Marvel fans questioning the quality-over-cameo aspect. Curious whether the overarching MCU affectedAgatha All Along, Perri asked Schaeffer if this series had any requirements to serve any other stories. The showrunner teased, “You know what? I haven’t been in a situation where I’m deep into breaking a story, and then suddenly Kevin Feige storms into the room and is like, ‘You must have Gambitin your thing!'”
She goes on to clarify:
“I guess the times when I’ve bumped into that haven’t been in the actual body of the series. It really always comes down to whatever the tag or coda or finish moment is. That’s really where all the Marvel brains get involved, like, ‘Okay, what are we saying? What are we doing? Who are we seeing? What’s going on?’ And often,that’s a thing that you push to the end of the schedulefor that kind of thing. It’s never an enormous curveball, but that’s where the cooks get involved.”
So are cameos out of the picture? Not necessarily. WillAgatha All Alongopen up doors for future MCU spin-offs or films? Maybe, but Schaeffer isn’t telling. But much likeWandaVisionandBlack Widowbefore that, which Schaeffer also penned, Agatha’s series invites Marvel fans, new and old, to enjoy a standalone show with epic practical effects and sets, introducing a slew of new characters and more witchy goodness we’ve been craving since theScarlet Witch’s last scene.
‘Agatha All Along’ – What Are the Rules of the Witches’ Road?
“Oh my gosh, Perri. We need a really long dinner to do this.”
Kathryn Hahn Reveals the Power She Learned From Her Heartstopping ‘Agatha All Along’ Co-Star
Joe Locke calls Hahn the Serena Williams of acting – “She’s the top of her game.”
As a self-proclaimed lover of rules and lore, Perri wasn’t about to miss a chance to dig into the official edicts Jac Schaeffer and the creatives behindAgatha All Alongfollowed when creating the Witches' Road. After all, without rules, chaos (magic) reigns. Fortunately, Schaeffer agrees, “Rules of the world are my thing. It’s also the thing that keeps me up at night, it’s the thing that I love the most, and it’s the thing that breaks my brain.”
The rules presented a very particular challenge for this series. Agatha’s show is establishingthe legendary Witches' Road, a realm where only witchcraft users may treadfor viewers, though comic readers may be familiar. According to “The Ballad of the Witches' Road,” this mysterious path “is wild and wicked, winding through the wood — where all that’s wrong is right, and all that’s bad is good,” over “many miles of tricks and trials.”
Schaeffer explains their dilemma through production:
“This one was really tricky because we built it from the ground up. WandaVisionwas a similar but different task, and was also brain-busting, brain-melting entirely — I’m a glutton for punishment with that kind of thing. But with this one,we were trying to bake and present witchcraft in the MCU.So, that was the first task. Then, sort of by extension, they’re on this quest that is in the witchy world, and sohow do we use the rules of this quest to shed light on what we’re saying about witchcraft?”
From their own Witches' Road of sorts (production), Schaeffer and the creatives learned which rules were top priority. She reveals to Perri what they learned throughout the making ofAgatha All Along, saying:
“It was everything. It was everything from the color story to what witches know instinctively. That was a really fun thing. The idea thatcovens share blessings and burdens alike— that was something that we learned in our research and became a real touchstone, something to sort of come back to. But then it’s things like,don’t step off the road, which affords us the opportunity to see what happens when someone steps off the road. But it’s endless and just makes you feel like a kid.”
The original song the cast performed at D23provides a little more insight into the Road itself. When Perri inquired about more musical witchiness, Schaeffer responded delightfully cryptically, “It will continue in unexpected ways.”
Who’s in ‘Agatha All Along’?
“It is so witchy the way that it worked out.”
Speaking of that bewitching performance,Agatha All Alongfeatures an ensemble cast of powerful talent. Besides, what is a witch without a coven? Well, ask Agatha Harkness. In the series, Agatha is rescued from Wanda’s spell by a goth Teen, played byHeartstopperbreakoutJoe Locke, who implores her to guide him on the Witches' Road. There’s power in numbers, and so Agatha and Teen put together a patchwork coven that includesSasheer Zamata(Saturday Night Live), Broadway legendPatti LuPone,Ali Ahn(Orange Is the New Black),Debra Jo Rupp(That 70s Show), andAubrey Plaza(Parks & Recreation).
Not only is this coven hitting the trail with Agatha and joining a massive franchise, but they’re also tasked withat leastone impressive musical number. (Not-so-spoiler warning: Perri watched up to Episode 4, and there are, in fact, more musical bits to get excited about!) Considering this feat, which could cast some actors out of the running, Perri asked if musical prowess was a requirement when searching for theirAgatha All Alongcast, to which Schaeffer replied:
“That wasn’t the agenda. We wanted to find witches — that was really the goal.We wanted to find the women who were right for these roles, and it just worked out. It is so witchy the way that it worked out. I mean, the fact that Patti LuPone is, like, anywhere near this production as a whole, we can’t even deal. But Ali Ahn, we didn’t find out until we were deep in her contract negotiations that she’s a trained vocalist and pianist. So, that was a surprise. She is very musical, and Joe [Locke], as well. I mean, after our show, Joe then went on to be on Broadway. So it was something that I guess we called in, but it felt more like it came to us.”
For even more magical Marvel, be on the lookout for more of Perri’s interviews with the cast asAgatha All Alonghits the Road on Disney+ beginning September 18.
Agatha All Along
A spell-bound Agatha Harkness regains freedom thanks to a teen’s help. Intrigued by his plea, she embarks on the Witches' Road trials to reclaim her powers and discover the teen’s motivations.
