Agatha All Along EP Mary Livanos Talks Ever-Evolving Title Gag

Indie darling of 2013 Short term 12 they managed to gather a number of notable talents before their careers reached another level, and Agatha for life Executive producer Mary Livanos has her own Marvel connection.

In addition to names like Rami Malek, LaKeith Stanfield and Kaitlyn Dever, Short term 12 marked the beginning of director Destin Daniel Cretton's four-way collaboration with Brie Larson, which includes her cameo as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel in the former's MCU debut, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Well, it turns out that Livanos was a personal assistant at Cretton's radio station in Los Angeles. Short term 12 set in 2012, and would eventually climb the charts to become Larson's EP on The Wonders (2023).

Prior to The WondersLivanos made a name for herself as a co-executive producer on Marvel Studios' most successful streaming series, WandaVisionAnd together with creator Jac Schaeffer, the duo were tasked with transforming their Emmy-nominated series into a show starring Agatha Harkness and Kathryn Hahn.

In November 2021, the series was announced with the title Agatha: Harkness Housebut this designation ended up being the first of many different title changes, culminating in the May 2024 revelation that it was an elaborate prank, as the title was always Agatha for life.

“Kudos to Jac Shaeffer for that, and to our incredible writers room, with the best day of brainstorming I think we’ve ever had, figuring out all those titles,” Livanos says. The Hollywood Reporter. “It was really cool to release crazier and crazier ones as production went on, and our cast was so game as well. The nature of the stunt felt very Agatha-esque.”

Below, during a recent conversation with DAYLivanos also explains how Agatha for lifeThe original song, “The Ballad of the Witches' Road”, has a very different purpose than the hit song “Agatha All Along” by WandaVision.

Fan theories surrounding WandaVision They were pretty overwhelming, and while you wanted that kind of engagement, some of your staff admitted they were afraid of letting people down. Agatha for life still has plenty to chew on in this way, but has the team taken any steps to prevent fans from turning an unnamed “aerospace engineer” into Reed Richards again?

(Laughter.) I would say we brought the same joy and enthusiasm into writing and creating [Agatha All Along]just like we did WandaVision. It’s delightful that fans enjoy theorizing so much, and as a Marvel fan, I can totally understand that. But the great thing about this show is that it has a lot of revelations, and so I think fans will have a lot of fun if they enjoy theorizing as well.

You and your team came up with this elaborate and ingenious gag involving the ever-changing title of the series. Whose idea was it?

Kudos to Jac Shaeffer for that, and to our incredible writers room, which had the best day of brainstorming I think we’ve ever had, to figure out all those titles. It was really fun to come up with crazier and crazier ones as production went on, and our cast was so game for it, too. The nature of the stunt felt very Agatha, very lying. So it felt very on-theme, and it was fun to do.

“Agatha All Along” is also the name of the hit single by WandaVisionand you probably knew from the beginning that you had to try to match it somehow. Sure, the Lopezes can write hit songs in their sleep, but was it still a tall order when their last song had set the bar as high as it could possibly be?

Well, after “Agatha All Along” beat Justin Bieber on the music charts, we knew we had to find a way to work with the Lopezs again, especially since they are so great to work with. Their writing just enhanced the consistency of WandaVision so much, and we were really trying to figure out a way to do that again, so we forced ourselves to do that. But the role that “The Ballad of the Witches' Road” plays narratively over the course of the show grows and grows, and I'm really excited for fans to find out exactly how it comes together.

As the trailers have shown, Agatha examines a dead body and Wanda’s name appears on a library card next to it. Will this series surely answer the question of Wanda’s fate?

Well, I can tell you that Agatha has been trapped in Wanda's twisted spell and of course after the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of MadnessWanda has been taken off the table. So I think fans will have to tune in to find out more. That’s all I can say.

Were you able to shoot exteriors at Warner Ranch before it was demolished?

We were! We loved filming on Blondie Street at the incredible and historic Warner Bros. Ranch. Agatha's house is the house that appeared in BewitchedSo we were very, very fortunate to film there, and we will miss it.

Finally, I noticed that you had a job as a personal assistant. Short term 12Did you talk to Brie Larson about this at any point? Captain Marvel OR The Wonders?

(Laughter.) It came out, but we didn't cross paths Short term 12. I actually got that opportunity when I was an intern at Marvel. I worked at San Diego Comic-Con and met a producer who brought me to that movie. But I was a PA. I took out trash, I was a security guard, and I ran a walkie-talkie. So life is serendipitous and it’s a small world.

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Agatha for life will debut on Disney+ on September 18.