Mary McDonnell is joining Marvel’s Vision series while also boarding the feature adaptation of One Second After, marking a busy stretch for the two-time Oscar nominee. The casting arrives as the Vision show, led by showrunner Terry Matalas with Paul Bettany returning as the synthezoid, continues postproduction following a months-long shoot in the U.K. Earlier reporting indicated the series targets a 2026 debut on Disney+. James Spader is set to reprise Ultron, signaling a storyline that reconnects to threads left after WandaVision.
Details of McDonnell’s role on the series remain under wraps. Production tracked through spring and wrapped in late July at Pinewood Studios, according to U.K. industry listings, aligning with Marvel’s recent emphasis on hiring traditional showrunners and spacing live-action launches. While plot specifics are closely guarded, the creative team has framed the show as a continuation of Vision’s arc independent of the main theatrical slate.
In parallel, McDonnell will appear in One Second After, based on William R. Forstchen’s bestseller about a North Carolina town after an electromagnetic pulse cripples modern infrastructure. The film is directed by Scott Rogers from a screenplay by J. Michael Straczynski, with Josh Holloway starring as John Matherson and Hannah John-Kamen and Famke Janssen among the key ensemble. Filming begins this month in Sofia, Bulgaria, with the project produced by MPI Original Films and Startling Inc.
McDonnell’s character in the film is identified as Jen, a central family figure within Matherson’s household, positioning her at the core of the story’s survival focus. The adaptation has been in active build-out through late summer, as casting firmed up around its lead trio ahead of the September start date. For Marvel’s series, the addition of a veteran performer who has anchored prestige television suggests an ensemble that mixes AI-linked characters and human counterparts, with the creative point of view shaped by Matalas’ experience steering serialized science fiction.
