Netflix Bringing More Marvel Characters To The Small Screen
Netflix is poised to bring a host of characters from the Marvel comic universe to the small screen.
According to Time, Netflix has announced plans to release a new Marvel show every six months. The streaming service and comic company last partnered on Daredevil, which premiered on Netflix in April. A second season is in development for release on Netflix in 2016.
Fans of Marvel won’t have to wait that long to see more comic book characters on Netflix, however. Time reports that Netflix announced its plan to release a Jessica Jones series before the end of 2016. That would be followed by Netflix programs for the Marvel characters Luke Cage and Iron Fist.
Time reports that Krysten Ritter, star of Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23, will take on the lead role in the Netflix adaptation of Jessica Jones. She will be the first female lead character in the current Marvel universe to have super powers. The first super powered lead heroine of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be Captain Marvel in 2018.
According to IGN, Netflix CCO Ted Sarandos said the characters will all exist in the same universe and will eventually cross over and combine into a single Netflix series focusing on them as the Marvel team known as The Defenders.
“I think ideally there will be a rhythm of about every six months you’ll get a new season or a new series from the Defenders group,” Sarandos said. “And then they’ll crossover into a combined [Defenders] season once we’ve launched the first season of each of the four characters.”
IGN reports that Netflix has already announced that Marvel character The Punisher will be joining Season 2 of Daredevil. The vigilante will be played by John Bernthal, who is probably best known to audiences for his portrayal of Shane Walsh on AMC’s zombie drama The Walking Dead. Although not part of the current announcement, it is possible the The Punisher could get his own Netflix series as well.
“It is possible for sure,” Sarandos said of a Punisher Netflix series. “That’s the beauty of the Marvel universe.”
Little additional information has been released about the upcoming collaborations between Marvel and Netflix. IGN reports that Mike Colter has been cast as Luke Cage, but Iron Fist has either not been cast or Netflix and Marvel are holding off on making the announcement. Sarandos seemed to indicate that the decision of when to release information was not entirely up to Netflix.
“It’s always a little extra complex with Marvel in announcing things,” he said, adding that he hoped to make additional announcements “soon.”
[Image via Netflix]
