Marvel's Loki inspired Elizabeth Banks' new Pitch Perfect TV series

Elizabeth Banks is singing Marvel's praises as she reveals that an MCU villain origin story inspired her upcoming Pitch Perfect spin-off series starring Adam DeVine.

The filmmaker-actress — who starred in all three Pitch Perfect films in addition to directing the second installment — returned to the franchise to executive-produce Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin for the Peacock streaming service, and revealed one of the project's unexpected inspirations on Tuesday's episode of The View.

"We're always looking for ways to bring more Pitch Perfect to the fans," Banks said. "Honestly, we were a little inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe Loki show. They took a villain [played by Tom Hiddleston] from Marvel and they gave him a television show, a whole backstory. We thought, can we do that with Adam DeVine's character, Bumper? He's kind of a lovable villain."

Julia Terjung/Peacock; Marvel Studios

The series charts Bumper's move to Germany, where he hopes to revive his music career after one of his songs makes a splash in the European nation. There, the former Troublemakers group member's path again crosses with Das Sound Machine, the ruthless German singing collective that first appeared as a rival to the Barden Bellas in Pitch Perfect 2.

"He's such a great comedic actor," Banks said of DeVine, whose character later became the love interest for Rebel Wilson's Patricia "Fat Amy" Hobart. "We paired him with Das Sound Machine from the second film as well, which is why he's in Berlin. It's basically about second chances, somebody who's always dreamed of having a singing career, and what that can look like for someone like Bumper, who's having a change of heart."

The first Pitch Perfect film, which followed the rise of a band of competitive collegiate singers (Anna Kendrick, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, Ester Dean, Alexis Knapp, Hana Mae Lee, and Wilson), became a sleeper hit, grossing $115 million globally throughout its theatrical run. Across three films, the series' worldwide box office haul stands at $565 million.

Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin premieres Nov. 23 on Peacock.

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