Wonder Man star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is opening up about the un-renewal of the series.
“I was told that it had something to do with the viewership numbers,” he said in an interview with Vanity Fair. “I wasn’t told what those numbers were, but ultimately, for whatever reason it was, I think they decided that it didn’t make sense for business, and that’s the decision that we live with and we keep on marching forward.”
Disney+ renewed the Marvel series for a second season in March but then reversed course and un-renewed the show in late July.
Abdul-Mateen likened the un-renewal to the plot of the show, in which he starred as Simon, an aspiring actor whose goal is to be in a remake of the film Wonder Man. Simon also has superpowers, which he must keep hidden. Ben Kingsley reprised his role as actor Trevor Slattery, introduced in 2013’s Iron Man 3.
“It’s a lesson in life,” Abdul-Mateen said. “It’s so close to what real life is. You have just this guy, Simon, who finally had his dreams come true, but we saw him overcome after all of his attempts of getting close and then not closing the deal. Many people have that experience in real life. The cancellation of the show was just another one of those examples.”
