AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. Spinoff to Feature Mockingbird & Lance Hunter

Here's hoping they call this show Mockingbird and not Mr. & Mrs. Hunter...

Deadline reported yesterday that the planned spinoff of the ABC series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will feature Adrianne Palicki and Nick Blood, reprising their current roles of Marvel superhero Mockingbird and her ex-husband Lance Hunter.

Hunter first appeared in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2 opener, "Shadows," as a mercenary brought into S.H.I.E.L.D. by Isabelle Hartley together with Idaho.  He used to work for S.T.R.I.K.E. (Special Tactical Reserve for International Key Emergencies), the British counterpart to S.H.I.E.L.D. until Phil Coulson hired him as a mercenary following the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Mockingbird first appeared four episodes later in "A Hen in the Wolf House" as Barbara "Bobbi" Morse, an undercover S.H.I.E.L.D. agent posing as the head of security for Hydra Laboratories, but actually working for Coulson in order to monitor Jemma Simmons (who had also infiltrated Hydra).  When Simmons was compromised, Morse revealed her true allegiance in order to help Simmons escape and acquire valuable Hydra data.  She was later revealed to have been previously married to Hunter and to be good friends with Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie.

According to Deadline, the spinoff was developed by S.H.I.E.L.D. executive producer Jeffrey Bell and co-executive producer Paul Zbyszewski, who are writing the script and would executive produce.  ABC isn't expected to make a formal greenlight call until the script comes in, with the hope of doing that before the upfronts.  The spinoff may film a promo or do a pilot and if it goes to series, Zbyszewski is expected to serve as showrunner.

The Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. spinoff is one of two new Marvel series for ABC in the works, along with a drama written by John Ridley, that has been rumored to focus on the current Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan.  ABC and Marvel also have the midseason drama Agent Carter under consideration for next season.

Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Tuesday nights on ABC at 9 p.m. EST.