According to reports, Marvel has terminated contracts with showrunners Steve Lightfoot and Paul Zbyszewski as the COVID-19 pandemic causes uncertainty in the television industry.
Paul Zbyszewski, Steve Lightfoot via The Hollywood Reporter
What’s happening:
- Marvel has reportedly cancelled overall deals with Steve Lightfoot and Paul Zbyszewski the TV showrunners for The Punisher and Helstrom.
- According to The Hollywood Reporter the duo are among the first to be force majeured amid the coronavirus outbreak that has resulted in the halting of many productions.
- Sources tell THR that the overall deals for Lightfoot and Zbyszewski were with Marvel and not Disney’s ABC Studios.
- Lightfoot had previously served as showrunner on the two-season, live-action series The Punisher that aired on Netflix.
- He was also to be the showrunner for Ghost Rider which had been picked up straight to series by Hulu. However, the streamer scrapped that show in fall of 2019.
- As for Zbyszeweski, his team managed to wrap the physical production of Helstrom ahead of the industry shutdown; and he will finish post-production on the live-action series.
- Lightfoot is rather new to Marvel with his first project for their television division being The Punisher, while Zbyszewski has worked with them going back to ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- At this time, Marvel has not provided any comment on the situation.
Did you know?:
- “A force majeure clause typically allows studios increased latitude to make decisions that are motivated by an unforeseeable incident, such as the novel coronavirus.”