Runaways Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Runaways Wiki

Marvel's Runaways, or simply Runaways, is an American web television series created for Hulu by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. Set within the shared Marvel Cinematic Universe, Runaways shares the continuity established other Marvel films and television shows. Runaways is produced by ABC Signature Studios, Marvel Television, and Fake Empire Productions. In addition to creating the series, Schwartz and Savage serve as showrunners.

Runaways stars Rhenzy Feliz (as Alex Wilder), Lyrica Okano (as Nico Minoru), Virginia Gardner (as Karolina Dean), Ariela Barer (as Gert Yorkes), Gregg Sulkin (as Chase Stein), and Allegra Acosta (as Molly Hernandez) as the titular group of six teenagers from different backgrounds who unite against their parents. Their parents compose "The Pride"; portrayed by Ryan Sands (as Geoffrey Wilder), Angel Parker (as Catherine Wilder), Brittany Ishibashi (as Tina Minoru), James Yaegashi (as Robert Minoru), Kevin Weisman (as Dale Yorkes), Brigid Brannagh (as Stacey Yorkes), Annie Wersching (as Leslie Dean), Kip Pardue (as Frank Dean), James Marsters (as Victor Stein), and Ever Carradine (Janet Stein).

Originally conceived of as a film by Marvel Studios, development began in May 2008. However, due to the success of The Avengers, the film was shelved in 2013. The project was resurrected in 2016 when Marvel announced that Hulu had orders a pilot for a Runaways television series. Casting was announced in early 2017, with filming beginning shortly after. Hulu officially ordered the series in May 2017.[1]

Runaways premiered in Los Angeles on November 16, 2017, with the 10-episode series and released on Hulu on November 21, 2017,[2] until January 9, 2018.

Season two was picked up on January 8, 2018 for a 13 episode order and premiered on Friday, December 21, 2018.[3][4]

Season three was picked up on March 24, 2018 for a 10 episode order.[5]

Synopsis

Marvel's Runaways is the story of six diverse teenagers who can barely stand each other but who must unite against a common foe – their parents.[2]

Cast

Main Cast

Special Guest Starring

Guest Starring

  • Olivia Holt as Tandy Bowen (2/33)
  • Aubrey Joseph as Tyrone Johnson (2/33)

Recurring Cast

Note 1: *As of Gimmie Shelter, Julian McMahon has been promoted to main cast with last billing designated with "and". He was previously billed as Special Guest Star.
Note 2: **Split Up is Kip Pardue's last credited appearance and removed from main cast as of Season Three.
Note 3: ***As of Smoke and Mirrors, Clarissa Thibeaux has been promoted to main cast.

Co-Starring

Production

Development

Runaways was first placed in development in 2008 as a film. Marvel Studios hired Runaways creator Brian K. Vaughan to write the screenplay.[6] In April 2010, Peter Sollett was hired as the film's director.[7] A month later, Drew Pearce was hired to provide a new script for the film.[8] Following the success of Marvel's The Avengers, development of Runaways was shelved.[9] Due to the plan that Marvel Studios had in place, the earliest that a Runaways film could be produced was in Phase Three.[10] However, when the Phase Three films were announced, Runaways was not included. When asked about the project, President of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, stated that Runaways was "still an awesome script that exists in our script vault... In our television and future film discussions, it's always one that we talk about, because we have a solid draft there. [But] we can't make them all."[11]

Marvel Television began thinking about turning the film in a television series. During a general meeting with ABC Studios, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage of Fake Empire Productions raised the possibility of creating the television series.[12] After a year of negotiations, Runaways was announced as a television series in August 2016. Hulu ordered the pilot episode, along with scripts for a full season.[13][14] The selection of Hulu to air the series rather than any of the other networks currently broadcasting Marvel Television shows was "an easy decision" according to executive producer Jeph Loeb. He was excited about aligning with a network that was "young and growing" in the same way that Netflix was when they approached them several years ago. Loeb was impressed by the success of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale.[15]

The pilot was written by Schwartz and Savage. They also serve as showrunners and executive producers. Jeph Loeb and Jim Chory are also credited as executive producers.[13][14] Runaways was confirmed to have a 10-episode series order from Hulu.[16]

Writing

Schwartz admitted to being a fan of the Runaways comic for some time. He introduced the comic to Savage. Loeb described the series as The O.C. of the Marvel Cinematic Universe,[12] which Schwartz said meant "treating the problems of teenagers as if they are adults" and having the series "feel true and authentic to the teenage experience, even in this heightened context".[17] Loeb revealed that Runaways would deal with modern political issues by saying, "This is a time when figures of authority are in question, and this is a story where teenagers are at that age where they see their parents as fallible and human. Just because someone is in charge, doesn’t mean that they’re here to do good."[12] The producers also revealed that the show would not just focus on the teenagers, but will devote time to the parent's perspective as well. The pilot episode will tell the story from the teenager's perspective, while the second episode will tell the exact same story but from the point of view of their parents. [18]

Schwartz likened the series' tone to the original comics, which he considers to be "distinct".[17] Schwartz and Savage were excited by the freedom Hulu gave them, citing that the other broadcasters they were use to working with were much more strict. They revealed that Hulu allowed them to have the kids swear in the show, and that they did not have set episode running times. Hulu wanted "something that felt broad and where we could push the envelope in places". Schwartz sees the series as both a coming-of-age story and a family drama. He wants the focus to be on the characters themselves, not their super powers to the extent that "if you didn’t see the show title, you wouldn’t know that you were in a Marvel show for long stretches ... That was our aesthetic starting place, but there are episodes where there’s some good [Marvel] stuff." [19]

Casting

The actors playing the Runaways were announced in February 2017.[20] Loeb stated that the majority of the child actors were "fresh faces," which was an intentional choice made by casting director Patrick Rush.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many

Filming

Film on the Runaways pilot commenced on February 10, 2017,[21] in Los Angeles. [22] The working title for the production was "Rugrats." [23] Filimg was concluded by March 3.[24]

Following the completion of filming for the pilot and the show's subsequent pick-up to series, there was concern among the cast and crew that the impending writers' strike would prevent the series to move forward. However, the strike did not happen, and filming on the rest of the season began at the end of June, again in Los Angeles. [25] Production on the season had concluded by October 21.[26]

Music

Siddhartha Khosla was hired to compose the music for the series. [27] Alex Patsavas serves as music supervisor. Patsavas has worked in the same role on all of Schwartz and Savage's previous series.[17]

Marvel Cinematic Universe tie-ins

While the series is set within the continuity of the MCU, Jeph Loeb stated that the characters in the show will not be concerned with the actions of the Avengers, stating, "Would you be following Iron Man [on social media] or would you be following someone your own age? The fact that they’ve found each other and they’re going through this mystery together at the moment is what we’re concerned about, not what Captain America is doing." The showrunners appreciated the series' connection to the MCU and found in "liberating." The connection allowed them to not have to worry about establishing a world where superpowers and fantasy are the norm, and they did not have to be explained to the audience. [28]

Release

Runaways is scheduled to premiere its first three episodes on Hulu in the United States on November 21, 2017, with the series consisting of 10 episodes.[2] [15]

Marketing

Cast members and Schwartz and Savage appeared at New York Comic Con 2017 to promote the series,[29] where a trailer for the series was revealed, along with a screening of the first episode. [30] The series had its red carpet premiere at the Regency Bruin Theatre in Westwood, Los Angeles on November 16, 2017. [31]

Reception

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes reported a 83% approval rating with an average rating of 7.43/10 based on 18 reviews.[32] Metacritic assigned a score of 80 out of 100 based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[33]

Joseph Schmidt of ComicBook.com praised the show for its faithfulness to the comics in his review. He also liked the changes the show made, appreciating the increased focus on the parents. He thought the cast portraying the Runaways was "pretty spot on", but "many of the parents are scene stealers", highlighting the performances of Marsters, Wersching, and Pardue.[34]

Analysis

Clara Pits of Moviepilot felt "bringing radical faith into [Karolina's] narrative turns [her] into a clichéd, exhausted trope that her character never was" and "treats her attraction to women as an act of rebellion" against her parents, rather than "an inspiring story of self-discovery over time" as it was in the comics. She also felt that having the reveal of Karolina's powers centered around an attempted sexual assault "robbed [the character] of this important and beautiful experience" and the moment became "a heroic arc for Chase, which ignores the original intent of telling Karolina's story." [35]

Behind the Scenes

  • On August 17, 2016, it was announced on Marvel's website that the Runaways would be a Hulu series.[36]
  • In May 2017, Siddhartha Khosla was hired to score the series.[27]
  • On January 8, 2018, it was announced that Hulu renewed Runaways for a second season with an additional of 3 episodes.[3]

Multimedia

References

  1. 'Marvel's Runaways' Headed to Hulu
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Hulu Sets Fall Premieres: Slate Includes ‘Mindy Project’, ‘Marvel’s Runaways’
  3. 3.0 3.1 Hulu renews "Marvel's Runaways" for a Second Season
  4. SpoilerTV - Runaways Season 2 Premiere Date Revealed
  5. 'Marvel's Runaways' Officially Renewed For 10-Episode Season 3
  6. Project 'Runaways' in works at Marvel
  7. Marvel Taps Peter Sollett For 'Runaways'
  8. Marvel Taps 'No Heroics' Creator For 'Runaways' Duty
  9. Marvel Studios Slows Down 'Runaways'
  10. Marvel's 'Runaways' Shelved in Post-'Avengers' Marvel Movieverse
  11. Watch: All Of Your Marvel Phase 3 Questions Answered By Marvel Head Kevin Feige
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 How Marvel’s Hulu Series ‘Runaways’ Is A Response To Trump America – TCA
  13. 13.0 13.1 Hulu Orders ‘Marvel’s Runaways’ Series From Josh Schwartz & Stephanie Savage
  14. 14.0 14.1 ‘Marvel’s Runaways’ Coming to Hulu from ‘Gossip Girl’ Creators
  15. 15.0 15.1 Marvel TV boss explains why next big show, Runaways, is a Hulu exclusive, not Netflix
  16. Marvel's 'Runaways,' From 'The O.C.' Creators, Ordered to Series at Hulu
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 Marvel's Runaways Is The O.C. Of The MCU
  18. Hulu's 'Runaways' "Lives in the Same World" as Other Marvel Fare
  19. ‘Marvel’s Runaways’ EPs on Bringing “‘The O.C.’ of the Marvel Universe” to Life on Hulu
  20. 'Marvel's Runaways' Finds Its Cast
  21. Here's the sitch. I'm filming Marvel's 'Runaways'! Set photos are strictly forbidden, but I snuck this pic of the carpet in my trailer...
  22. Working Titles For Black Panther, Runaways, and Cloak & Dagger Revealed
  23. Marvel's Runaways Working Title Revealed
  24. We're finishing filming on Marvel's Runaways. Great cast, great crew...tight social media security! No beans will be spilled on this deal!
  25. Welcome to Marvel: A Conversation with Gregg Sulkin at Wizard World
  26. Marvel’s Runaways Has Wrapped Filming
  27. 27.0 27.1 Siddhartha Khosla to Score Marvel’s ‘Runaways’
  28. Does ‘Runaways’ Connect With the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Sort Of
  29. Marvel TV Brings Agents of SHIELD, Punisher and Runaways to NYCC
  30. 'Marvel's Runaways' is the teen superhero drama we've been waiting for
  31. Marvel's Runaways cast attend LA premiere of new Hulu show
  32. Marvel's Runaways: Season 1 (2017)
  33. Marvel's Runaways: Season 1
  34. First Look: First Two Episodes Of 'Marvel's Runaways'
  35. Should We Be Concerned About The Changes Made To Karolina Dean In Marvel's 'Runaways'?
  36. "Marvel's Runaways" Headed to Hulu

External links

Advertisement