‘Wonder Man’ exclusive clip stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Ben Kingsley
Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley) meet and talk shop in an exclusive scene from Marvel’s “Wonder Man.”
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is sharing his thoughts after Marvel’s “Wonder Man” was canceled despite previously being renewed for a second season.
“Word just dropped that Wonder Man won’t be coming back for Season 2 (And if you don’t knowww, now ya knoww! ) That’s life, right?” he wrote in the caption of a July 30 Instagram post while sharing a selfie of himself sipping a drink while wearing headphones and a Wonder Man hat.
The “Aquaman” actor, 40, assured his followers that “everything will shake out” and thanked everyone who watched, enjoyed and shared the show, which released all eight episodes on Disney+ on Jan. 27.
“The show worked. And that’s my favorite thing about it. I could see it on the faces of the YouTube Reactors (because I watched along with y’all this time. Shoutout to y’all) and I can see in the messages I get saying how the show reminded some of you not to give up, and I feel it in the genuine love shared when I bump into some of you all during the day,” he added.
Abdul-Mateen II, who won his first Emmy in 2020 for playing Cal Abar in “Watchmen,” earned another nomination on July 8 for his lead role in “Wonder Man,” receiving a nod for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series despite the show’s cancellation.
“So, thinking of you all today. I’m glad we got to be a part of something cool. Thank you for watching… And uhh… See you at the EMMYS,” his message continued.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II said he was ‘cautious’ about joining Marvel Cinematic Universe
Loosely inspired by a nearly 60-year-old comic character, the action-comedy series follows Simon Williams (Abdul-Mateen II), a working LA actor who harbors extraordinary abilities that could derail his Hollywood career.
“There’s an opportunity for some three-dimensionality, which is a treat as an actor, and then I get to do the superpower stuff every once in a while,” Abdul-Mateen previously told USA TODAY. “I get a little bit of the best of both worlds.”
Unlike his character, Abdul-Mateen wasn’t desperate for the role of “Wonder Man,” and said he was “cautious” about how he would enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“I couldn’t go into this thing thinking that, well, I’ll try out Wonder Man, and if Wonder Man doesn’t work, then you can bring me back for Blue Marvel,” he said, name-checking a Marvel superhero who hasn’t been portrayed on screen yet. “I was more so a little bit skeptical, a little bit suspicious. To join something like this, it was a substantial feat, so I wanted to make sure that I would be able to do it and do it well, and that it would give me an opportunity to play and to grow.”
He also discussed how many actors could see themselves in the Marvel show as Simon has helped him explore feelings of failure.
“There’s a moment when Simon is sitting in the car, and he says, ‘I feel like it’s never gonna be me,'” Abdul-Mateen said. “There’s a freelance nature to what we do. A lot of times, the job involves dreaming about the next possibility while also sometimes being met with the possibility that your best days are behind you. “
He continued: “I had to tell myself a few years back, ‘Bro, just get a life. Stop worrying about the job. You’re employed, you have job security.’ And that’s what Simon hasn’t learned how to do yet, which is to just go and get a freaking life.”
Contributing: Brian Truitt, USA TODAY