Most Wanted (TV pilot)

Premise

Ex-spies and ex-spouses Bobbi Morse and Lance Hunter are on the run trying to uncover a conspiracy against them without any help from S.H.I.E.L.D. This leads them to form an uneasy alliance with rogue adventurer Dominic Fortune and Christina Santos in order to survive.

Cast and characters

Adrianne Palicki as Bobbi Morse:

Hunter's ex-wife and a former agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., who "believes in the universe and things happening for a reason". Palicki knew of the character due to her status as Mockingbird, an Avenger, in the comics, but said that the writers put "their own spin on" the MCU version of the character. Blood said of Hunter's influence on Morse, "You see how he's willing to ignore the rules and regulations to get the right thing done. Sometimes, Bobbi needs that kick up the backside to send her in that direction. By the same token, Hunter needs Bobbi's rationale sometimes to make sure he doesn't get in trouble again."

Nick Blood as Lance Hunter:

Morse's ex-husband, a former mercenary and agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. who is "a bit of an outsider, bit of a rogue, not really sure where his loyalties lies." The character was not initially conceived as an adaptation of the Hunter from the comics, with that decision coming "a bit later". Executive producer Jeffrey Bell noted that for the character, "laws are kind of suggestions, and if he’s with them he’ll follow them, and he’s always been much more a loyalist to the guy in the trenches than to any ideology". Palicki added that Hunter "fundamentally believes that you make things happen yourself, and you get what you want when you want it."

Delroy Lindo as Dominic Fortune:

A "rogue adventurer with a wealth of resources and even more adversaries" than Morse and Hunter. He and his niece Christina Santos agree to protect Morse and Hunter in exchange for those two's help with their agenda.

Fernanda Andrade as Christina Santos:

A "tough-as-nails woman of mystery" and Fortune's niece. She and Fortune work together, appearing to aide Morse and Hunter while furthering their own agenda. Santos has "some history" with Hunter, meant to "unfold as we watch the show". Andrade called Santos "tough" and "a badass" and added that "She has these really special skills. She just kind of knows how to work things, like weapons and cars."

Oded Fehr as a "well-known character" from the comics, who exudes a "villainous charm" and is "a force to be reckoned with" for Morse and Hunter.

Development

At San Diego Comic-Con International 2011, head of Marvel Television Jeph Loeb announced the series Mockingbird was in development at ABC Family. The series, which was described as "Alias meets Felicity", would feature Bobbi Morse as a freshman science major at "a prestigious university in the Silicon Valley... [until h]er life changes when she is recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. and is forced to become a student by day and a super spy by night." By March 2012, Mockingbird was still in development, with Loeb saying, "as with anything that you’re doing, particularly when you’re starting up a brand new entity [(Marvel Television)], things take time and [Marvel] want[s] to make sure we get it right."

At San Diego Comic-Con International 2014, Morse was revealed to be appearing in the second season of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., while Nick Blood was announced as cast in the role of Lance Hunter, a series regular for the season. In August 2014, Adrianne Palicki was cast as Morse in a guest role, and later promoted to series regular with the season two episode "Aftershocks".

By April 2015, Marvel was developing a spin-off series to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The series, which was being developed by Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. showrunner Jeffrey Bell and writer Paul Zbyszewski, would be based on storylines occurring at the end of the second season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and would receive its own pilot rather than a backdoor pilot. Though Palicki and Blood were reportedly in final discussions to headline the potential new series as their characters Morse and Hunter, ABC passed on the project by May 7, 2015, when they announced their series renewals, cancellations, and pickups. On passing on the intended series, ABC entertainment president Paul Lee said, "We thought the right thing now is to leave [Palicki and Blood] on S.H.I.E.L.D., because S.H.I.E.L.D. is so strong on [sic] the moment," though he did not rule out returning to the spin-off in the future. Blood and Palicki subsequently returned as principal cast members for the third season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

In August 2015, the spin-off series received new life as a reworked series, titled Marvel's Most Wanted, with a pilot order. Bell and Zbyszewski were again developing the series, while also serving as co-writers of the pilot, executive producers, and showrunners. Loeb and Jim Chory were also attached as executive producers. The series would still focus on Morse and Hunter, with Palicki and Blood both attached, and was described as "a new take focusing on the same duo and their continuing adventures." In January 2016, Lee stated that the pilot was "absolutely" moving forward, praising the script and saying production would begin "in the next few months." In the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode "Parting Shot", the two characters were written off that series, having them leave and disavow S.H.I.E.L.D. Bell explained that Palicki and Blood had to leave to film the pilot, and "it didn't make sense for us [on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.] to have all these episodes with them and then not have them in two or three episodes, and then go, 'Oh, we were just over here,' and then come back and go away again."

In April 2016, Most Wanted was seen to be "a no-brainer" for a series pick-up by industry insiders. However, it was said to be "cooling" in early May, and "not considered the lock it once was", though the producers were prepping "if-come" orders, "deals with writers that will come into effect in the event a pilot is picked to series". On May 12, 2016, the pilot was passed on by ABC once again. That August, Lee's successor Channing Dungey explained her decision not to pick up Most Wanted, saying that it "did not feel as strong as some of the other pilots that we shot. We talked about it with Marvel and we all came to an agreement that we want to figure out what the next show is that we do together, is something that we all feel is as creatively strong as it can be." However, Dungey said that ABC was open to the series being shopped to another network if Marvel found "another home" for it. Loeb also acknowledged this possibility, but said that the series was designed "to do a very specific thing" alongside S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC.

Writing

Bell and Zbyszewski worked together on Morse and Hunter's storyline for the third season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., preparing them to move over to the spin-off, with Bell explaining that it would set up Most Wanted by defining exactly who the characters are, such as Hunter and his lack of loyalty to S.H.I.E.L.D. and to ideologies—"nothing specific about the show, it’s just who Hunter is."

Bell compared Most Wanted to Angel, a spin-off from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and stated that "at the heart of" the series would be the question, "What's the metaphor of the relationship that's going to dramatize over the course of the episode versus the larger machinations of the world that S.H.I.E.L.D. find themselves in? In some ways it's a more intimate show because of that." Speaking on the tone of the pilot, Palicki said, "it’s a little less based ... in the mythology of the Marvel world and more about these two characters, and how they drive each other, and their adventures, like a Mr. and Mrs. Smith-type." Blood added, "It’s exploring how you make a relationship work with the backdrop of all this crazy stuff that goes on when you live in the world that they live in." Regarding that relationship, Palicki remarked that the differences in their views and beliefs would be "a big through line throughout the entire show", and stated that having Morse and Hunter work for Fortune would test both of their morals, with Blood saying, "I imagine Hunter’s had a bit more experience with that, where the line to cross is a bit fluid. It might take Bobbi a bit more to adapt to that."

Casting

In April 2015, Palicki and Blood were reportedly in final discussions to headline the potential new series, and it was confirmed they were attached to Most Wanted that August with the pilot order, reprising their Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. roles as Bobbi Morse and Lance Hunter, respectively. In January 2016, Delroy Lindo was cast as Dominic Fortune, and by that March, Oded Fehr and Fernanda Andrade were also cast in the pilot, as a "well-known character" from the comics and Christina Santos, respectively.

Filming

Filming on the pilot took place in early 2016, beginning following production of the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode "Parting Shot", and was completed by late March. Billy Gierhart directed the episode, with Bell and Zbyszewski writing it. Christine Bieselin Clark served as costume designer for the pilot.

Marvel Cinematic Universe tie-ins

On potential crossovers with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Bell said in March 2016, in reference to the way Hunter and Morse were written off of that series, "We want to be clear we're telling a different type of story, and in doing so, you don't want to be telling a story where you go, "Why don't they call Coulson? He can fix this easily," because that line's been cut. Not that you can't bring them back someday or have someone from S.H.I.E.L.D. show up on this show, but it's really setting up a different [part of the] universe". Blood described the situation as "they're on their own, they can make up their own rules, just turn the phones on airplane mode and ignore the calls from back home".