Marvel series “Helstrom” has been canceled at Hulu after one season, Variety has learned.
The move to cancel the series was not a surprising one, as “Helstrom” was the last live-action show produced by the now defunct Marvel Television unit under Jeph Loeb. The writing may have also been on the wall due to the fact that marketing materials for “Helstrom” — including its trailer and key art — did not include the word “Marvel” despite being based on Marvel comic book characters.
The show’s cancellation serves as a muted end to Loeb’s live-action efforts at Marvel, which at one time included six shows on Netflix as well as “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D” on ABC, “Legion” on FX, “Cloak & Dagger” on Freeform, “The Gifted” on Fox, and “Runaways” on Hulu. All of those have either been canceled or wrapped up their runs in the past two years.
Loeb is not completely out of the Marvel picture as of yet, however. Two Marvel animated series — “M.O.D.O.K” and “Hit-Monkey” — on which Loeb is an executive producer are both still in the works at Hulu, though they were originally supposed to be part of a four-series Marvel crossover event that has since been scrapped.
“Helstrom” was originally ordered to series in May 2019 alongside a live-action “Ghost Rider” series starring Gabriel Luna, though that show was scrapped in September that same year.
“Helstrom” starred Tom Austen and Sydney Lemmon as Daimon and Ana Helstrom. As the son and daughter of a mysterious and powerful serial killer, the series centers on the pair and their complicated dynamic as they track down the worst of humanity — each with their own attitude and skills. The series also starred Elizabeth Marvel, Robert Wisdom, Ariana Guerra, June Carryl, and Alain Uy.
Paul Zbyszewski developed the show for television and served as showrunner. He also served as executive producer alongside Loeb, Daina Reid, Joe Quesada, and Karim Zreik. The show was a co-production between ABC Signature and Marvel Television.
Fans of live-action Marvel fare need not fret for long. Marvel Studios under Kevin Feige has a range of live-action shows in the works for streamer Disney Plus featuring characters from the MCU while also introducing new ones. First up is “WandaVision” on Jan. 15, with with “The Falcon and Winter Soldier” on deck for March 19. “Loki” will then follow in May. Others include “Hawkeye” starring Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld, “She-Hulk” starring Tatiana Maslany, “Ms. Marvel” starring newcomer Iman Vellani, and “Moon Knight” with Oscar Isacc in early talks to star. Variety exclusively reported in September that Samuel L. Jackson will return as Nick Fury in a series in development at Disney Plus. Feige confirmed at last week’s Disney Investor day that show will be based on the “Secret Invasion” comics, along with a host of other projects. Those include “Armor Wars” starring Don Cheadle and “Ironheart” starring Dominique Thorne.