Word has come down the wire that THE SOUP and COMMUNITY funnyman Joel McHale is in talks to join QUANTUM AND WOODY, the forthcoming superhero adventure television series that hails from the Valiant Comics universe. Spearheading the project are none other than Joe and Anthony Russo of Marvel film fame, who will bring their expertise in comic-to-screen adventure making for this new action comedy series.
The Wrap is saying that McHale would star as Woody Henderson – a wisecracking, womanizing slacker, who along with his straitlaced adoptive brother, is granted unpredictable superpowers from a pair of energy control bands they find while investigating their father’s death. The two are now stuck with each other — they must “klang” the bands together every 24 hours or their powers will kill them.
For the moment, the hunt is still on for the Quantum to McHale's Woody (should the deal come to pass). This project will be marked as a reunion for McHale and the Russo Brothers, who, in the past, have worked with one another on both COMMUNITY and ARRESTED DEVELOPEMENT. Anthony and Joe Russo will act as executive producers in a paired partnership with Mike Larocca on the QUANTUM AND WOODY project. Furthermore, Valiant's Dinesh Shamdasani and writers Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari (ANT-MAN AND THE WASP) are set to write the script.
Other projects expected to come from the Valiant Universe include properties like HARBINGER and BLOODSHOT, of which Jared Leto is said to be in talks for the lead.
Having read several volumes of QUANTUM AND WOODY, I'm telling you that this is something worth putting on your entertainment radar. In the past, the Russo brothers have demonstrated that they have a knack for delivering top-quality comic book entertainment, and the thought of them contributing to a madcap comic book comedy has me very excited. Oh, and don't worry if you're not familiar with Valiant's universe, there's plenty coming from their camp that is bound to help you get acquainted real soon.