Aubrey Plaza continues to make her presence felt across the Hollywood landscape, and she may have a Disney+ series from the MCU in her sights next.
With Kathryn Hahn now holding a place as a fan favorite in Marvel Studios lore, she’s set to bring Agatha Harkness back to the franchise in her own series spinning off from 2021’s WandaVision. In Agatha: Coven of Chaos, she’ll be the central focus of the upcoming Phase 5 story as fans learn more about the MCU’s history with witchcraft, but she won’t be alone in this endeavor.
Recently, Deadline announced that Heartstopper’s Joe Locke will play the leading male role in the series opposite Hahn, with many predicting him to be playing an older version of Julian Hilliard’s Billy Maximoff. The series will also include Emma Caulfield from WandaVision as she reprises her role as Dottie, hopefully clearing the air on her own potential magical background after the theories that dominated the internet during WandaVision.
And now, the show is rumored to have its fourth member of the cast in one of the biggest names from the comedy world in Hollywood.
Parks & Rec Star Joins the MCU on Disney+
According to a rumor from The Illuminerdi, Marvel Studios has cast Aubrey Plaza in a mystery role for the upcoming Agatha: Coven of Chaos series coming to Disney+ in 2023.
This will be Plaza's first time playing a role in any superhero franchise, having largely made her name playing April Ludgate on NBC's Parks & Recreation. She most recently played a small role in the widely-acclaimed White Lotus as Harper Spiller.
Plaza's role is described as one that's part of "a group of supporting female characters," although there are no specifics on her character.
The report also noted that Agatha: Coven of Chaos is set to shoot for up to a couple of weeks in December before the rest of production runs from January 2023 into early Summer.
Update: Variety later confirmed the news about Plaza's involvement in Agatha: Coven of Chaos in its own report on the news.
Deadline also corroborated the casting for Marvel Studios, adding a little more detail about Plaza's role. She is reportedly set to play a villain in the series across from Kathryn Hahn and Joe Locke, although Marvel hasn't commented on the casting yet.
Who Will Aubrey Plaza Play for Marvel?
Aubrey Plaza becomes only the latest major star to take on a role in the MCU, becoming the second Parks & Rec lead to do so after Chris Pratt became Star-Lord nearly a decade ago for Guardians of the Galaxy. But the questions now are how big her role will be and if she'll look to continue into other projects in the MCU post-Coven of Chaos.
Considering her star power, Plaza would seemingly be a name that the MCU wants to keep around for a long time after she makes her debut next year. She could be part of Agatha's coven of witches, whether it comes in a flashback or in the present day, or she could be the next big villain to make her mark on the Disney+ sphere as well.
With filming looking to begin in the coming weeks, the news about Plaza being part of the cast should be far from the last of its kind as the MCU dives back into its magical storyline for Phase 5.
Agatha: Coven of Chaos is set to premiere on Disney+ in late 2023 and early 2024.
