Newly posted casting calls led to speculation that Disney is developing an MCU musical.
In recent years, Disney and Marvel Studios have taken steps to bring the Marvel Cinematic Universe into that of its fans, ranging from the opening of two Avengers Campuses at the Disney Parks to the real-life publication of Ant-Man’s biography from Quantumania.
Now, new evidence suggested Disney and Marvel are working on bringing another element of the MCU into the timeline of its audience.
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Disney recently posted a casting call for a new limited-run musical at The Hyperion Theater at Disneyland Resort’s Disney California Adventure park.
While Disney hasn’t revealed the name of the show, certain details and descriptions have fans believing it’s a full-length version of Rogers: The Musical from Hawkeye.
Rogers: The Musical is an in-universe Broadway musical based on Steve Rogers’s life and which Clint Barton takes his kids to see in his Disney+ series.
While one musical number is shown in the show (and its post-credit scene), ads and billboards for the Hamilton-esque production have been seen in other MCU projects, including Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
So are Marvel Studios and Disney looking to continue the tradition in this universe? Here’s a breakdown of the information Disney provided and why many fans think so.
Role Descriptions Fit Peggy Carter & Skinny Steve
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According to the casting call, Disney is looking to fill five roles for this limited-time show.
The first, which was simply labeled as Role #1, is asking for three female characters with the ability “to sing in many styles from Destiny’s Child to Andrew Sisters.”
Not only does this suggest the show will highlight time-period leaps, but the reference to the Andrew Sisters is particularly telling as they were a 1940s-era trio known as “The Sweethearts of the Armed Forces.”
This sounds like the perfect fit for a retelling of Captain America’s famous USO shows.
Role #2 on the casting call is for a “mid 20’s to early 30’s” female role and describes the character as “brave, resourceful and intelligent” and “must have a strong English accent.”
Brave, resourceful, intelligent, and a required “strong English accent?” Sounds a lot like Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter, no?
The description for Role #3 is a “young man coming into his greatness” who’s aged around “17 to 20” years.
While this one is a bit more ambiguous, it could be Skinny Steve from the first act of Captain America: The First Avenger.
For Role #4, Disney is looking to cast a male character who’s “decisive, capable, principled and has a wry sense of humor” and who “leads others with attitude and swagger.”
Naturally, the leading fan theory for this role is Iron Man’s Tony Stark. However, it could easily fit Tony’s father, Howard Stark, from the 2011 film.
Role #5, which is the last role Disney currently has posted, is for a male character who’s “noble, loyal, idealistic, and romantic do-gooder.”
If that wasn’t enough to suggest this is Steve Rogers, the description also notes that he “does not give up easily.”
For Marvel fans, that pretty much screams Cap’s mantra – the Rogers: The Musical lyric – of “I can do this all day.”
Agent Carter Composer Tied to Project
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Disney also noted that Christopher Lennertz signed on to compose the upcoming musical.
And, while it’s true that Marc Shaiman composed the “Save the City” number for Rogers: The Musical, Lennertz composed Agent Carter, Peggy Carter’s solo television series, along with the superhero television series, The Boys.
Therefore, not only does he have experience composing for multiple superhero-focused productions, but he’s worked on a series rooted in Captain America mythology.
An Avengers Campus Location
The Hyperion Theater at Disney California Adventure is anything but a small entertainment venue.
This 2000-seat, indoor theater has hosted Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular and even Frozen! Live at the Hyperion, a forerunner for Frozen the Broadway Musical.
However, the theater has remained closed since the 2020 pandemic; and while it currently belongs to the loosely-themed Hollywood Backlot area of the park, it also sits at one of the entrances to Avengers Campus.
Rogers: The Musical next to Avengers Campus makes sense both visually and thematically.
But that’s not all. The Hyperion Theater just happens to be by one of Avengers Campus’ Shawarma Palaces, a reference to 2012’s The Avengers.
Rogers: The Musical Was Performed Live Before
It’s no secret that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is a big fan of Disney Parks and Rogers: The Musical.
In fact, the MCU executive chose to kick off the Marvel Studios panel at the 2022 D23 Expo with a live performance of Rogers: The Musical‘s “Save the City.”
Perhaps this was a dry run for what Feige and Disney had planned for right across the street at Disney California Adventure.
The Other Leading Theory
While many are speculating that Rogers: The Musical is what Disney has planned, the other leading theory is that Disney is casting for a stage version of 1997’s Hercules.
While a number of the casting call’s character descriptions do evoke that of Hercules, Phil, and possibly Hades, requiring a female character with a strong British accent isn’t on par with Meg, the animated film’s heroine.
Also, the Russo Brothers, who ironically directed multiple Captain America and Avengers films, are developing a live-action remake of Hercules.
Disney has a history of integrating live-action remakes of its animated classics into the parks after they’ve premiered, not before.
And, if a new Hercules is underway, it’s unlikely that Disney Parks would spend funds on production based on an older version of the tale.
Will the Avengers “Save the City” at Disneyland?
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So is this casting call for Rogers: The Musical?
While Disney has yet to provide any additional information or clues, the posting did state that Disney would be sharing more details soon.
If so, it will be interesting to learn what Disney and Marvel have planned for a full version of the production, especially since Hawkeye‘s “Save the City” was reportedly the Act 1 closer.
Could fans see more Hamilton inspirations, events of Civil War and Endgame, and possibly an explanation for why Ant-Man was at the Battle of New York?
No doubt Cap’s “Star Spangled Man” and “It’s Been a Long, Long Time” would have a presence as well.
For now, these Rogers: The Musical rumors have left Marvel and Disney Parks fans with plenty to speculate about.
