Disney+ may be ramping up its Star Wars and Marvel content with new shows about Loki, Scarlet Witch, and Sam and Bucky, but Hulu is also stepping up its game. The digital network has announced two new live-action Marvel series, Marvel’s Helstrom and, hell yeah, Marvel’s Ghost Rider.
According to a press release, Disney (which owns a majority stake in Hulu) is adding two new shows to its Marvel TV lineup on Hulu, which currently features The Runaways. The first one centers around the Robbie Reyes version of Ghost Rider, played by Gabriel Luna on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It’s unclear whether it’s an actual spinoff of the ABC series or if Luna would reprise his role but it seems likely that the two shows could be connected, given how S.H.I.E.L.D.’s executive producer Paul Zbyszewski will be working on this series. Ingrid Escajeda (Justified, Empire) is serving as showrunner and executive producer.
“I couldn’t be more excited and honored to be handed the reins to a Marvel character as beloved as Ghost Rider. This story hits every note for me: My love for grounded yet conflicted characters, and my desire to scare the shit out of people,” Escajeda said.
Update: According to Variety, Gabriel Luna will reprise his role as Robbie Reyes in Hulu’s Ghost Rider series, but it will reportedly be a new iteration of the character that’s not connected to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The other series is Helstrom, which may not be as recognizable to some Marvel fans. It’s based on the character Daimon Hellstrom, otherwise known as the Son of Satan, who made his first appearance in Ghost Rider back in 1973. This version of the story will center around Daimon and his sister Ana, who are the children of a “mysterious and powerful serial killer.” Whether that means Satan, some other kind of demon, or just your standard mass murderer...only time will tell. But we do know one thing: It’s gonna get grim.
“As a lifelong Marvel fan, I feel incredibly fortunate to help bring this darker, thrilling corner of the comic book universe to life,” Zbyszewski, Executive Producer and Showrunner. “Marvel’s known for all the heart, humor, and action they put into every series, but this time around we’re adding some scares to that mix. I think we’ve found a compelling way to dissect some of our deepest fears through the experiences of our two lead characters.”
I’m also curious to see whether the two new comic book shows cross over, given their shared history. Seems possible given how Zbyszewski, who’s producing Ghost Rider, will be the showrunner on this series.
These are the latest Marvel shows Disney has announced since ending its partnership with Netflix, effectively killing The Defenders television franchise for the next couple of years. But it makes sense for the studio to switch: Disney’s stake in Hulu makes it the more logical choice for shows they may not want to produce on their own streaming platform (in this case perhaps because the content will skew more adult).
You might recall Hulu is also working on a series of animated shows centered around characters like Howard the Duck, Tigra, Dazzler, with a planned crossover special called The Offenders. Name is surely not a coincidence.
No expected release dates for Ghost Rider or Helstrom have been announced. Runaways was renewed for a third season but no release date for that yet either.
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