The WWE Universe is officially a part of the microdrama world.
The sports entertainment powerhouse and the microdrama platform ReelShort have released their first collaboration, “Agent of Shadows,” set premiere Oct. 23 on ReelShort and social media. The show follows a secret agent who learns he as a daughter he never knew about and now must protect from a criminal organization.
This marks the first project from the two companies since they announced their partnership in July of this year.
“ReelShort’s the next iteration of how the younger generation in our country consume content,” said Ben Houser, head of scripted and unscripted & development for WWE. “They have really perfected the experience of a long-term narrative story and being able to consume that in bite-sized chunks. For WWE, that’s where we want to meet our audience. We think you always got to figure out where the audience is, and that’s where the audience is now. They’re on mobile phones.”
“Agent of Shadows” features established microdrama stars like Chase Mattson, Marc Herrmann, and Katherine Gibson. They are joined by WWE talent including Drew McIntyre, Jacob Fatu, Joe Hendry, Nikkita Lyons, Michael Hayes, and Booker T among others.
McIntyre in particular takes on a central role in the show, playing Roscoe, the right-hand man and tech expert to secret agent Adam Hawke (Mattson). This is the latest major acting role for McIntire, who has starred in a number of films in recent years.
In addition to his role in the 2024 action film “The Killer’s Game,” McIntyre has filmed roles in the upcoming “Highlander” reboot with Henry Cavill as well as “The Last Druid” starring Russell Crowe.
“I was actually in Barcelona filming ‘The Last Druid’ when I got the call from Ben Houser,” McIntyre said. “I’ve known him for years through the WWE. When he comes with an idea, I know it’s something good…Right from the first conversation, I was like, ‘This is something I want to be involved in.'”
And while McIntyre says he still has “many years” left in his WWE career, taking on acting roles outside the company has given him the chance to stretch himself in new ways.
“The movies that I’ve been lucky to be involved with, I’ve never wanted to be big bad guy number three,” he said. “I want something that challenges me, my ability to show my range, and this is exactly that.”
But despite the fact that he regularly performs in front of arenas full of people on live television every week, McIntyre was still nervous when he made his first movie.
“I was so nervous until I spoke to Dave Batista, who I’ve known for years, and he was like, ‘Wait till the red light goes on, and you’ll know exactly what to do,'” he said. “And sure enough, when the red light goes on, I relax, and it’s so exciting.”
Mattson, whose past microdrama credits include “Married to the Don” and “My Poor Husband Is a Billionaire,” was impressed with McIntyre from the moment he stepped on set.
“I was told ‘He’s tall and he’s big,’ and I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m tall and big.’ Then he walked on set and I thought, ‘This dude is like The Iron Giant,'” Mattson said with a laugh. “He was a really nice guy, and I think I told him, ‘You need to keep pursuing acting because you really have the the knack for it. You’ve got the natural chops.'”
Having been in the microdrama space for years now, Mattson said that watching the evolution of the genre has been an incredible experience.
“I started back when we were using iPhones, and now we’re using ARRIs and REDs,” he said. “This is a full production, like a cinema microdrama, and it’s really cool…We’re shooting 12-14 hours a day, and we’re shooting maybe 20 scenes, so we’re moving pretty quick. So everybody is very professional, and they know exactly what they’re doing.”
ReelShort’s head of talent and business development Sammie Hao said that the company saw the “shared DNA” between themselves and WWE right away. “Both types of storytelling are aery dramatic, a lot of larger than life characters, and moments that make people want to figure out what’s next,” Hao said.
Hao feels that the WWE partnership represents a milestone for ReelShort, and portends well for the future of working with other major brands.
“Like with Crocs, the first show we did for Crocs is aiming for Valentine’s Day this coming year,” she said. “So not only can we use the content to tell branded stories, we can definitely help them aim a specific campaign or season or a new product launch…And in terms of brands, I do see that it will become an alternative marketing campaign or campaign options for other brands.”
“Agent of Shadows” premieres Oct. 23.
