The popcorn movie. It’s one of cinema’s time-honored traditions, and that’s even if the term itself is often used disparagingly online when budding moviegoers deliberate over summer’s big-name releases.
But there’s a certain place for a motion picture that strives for pure, cinematic entertainment (see: Baby Driver) that doesn’t become bogged down by an unnecessarily complex story and weighty themes. And what better time to launch a light-hearted movie than during the height of the summer?
That being said, entertainment in the vein of Edgar Wright’s riotous crime caper needn’t be limited to the silver screen. At least, that’s according to Luke Cage himself Mike Colter, who touched on the hot-button topic of The Defenders while appearing at Denver Comic-Con (via LRM Online) this past weekend. And though Marvel and Netflix’s standalone quartet – namely Cage, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist – has left fans expecting a similarly gritty superhero series, Colter noted that there’s a “certain lightness” to The Defenders, before comparing Marvel/Netflix’s imminent eight-parter to a “summer popcorn thing.”
It is, of course, important to remember that The Defenders will likely hit the ground running in six weeks’ time, now that those four aforementioned solo series have done much of the legwork when it comes to exposition and establishing the history of each respective hero. Plus, once all of our reluctant rogues come together in the name of New York City, we can readily expect Marvel to foster a sense of camaraderie throughout the show’s eight-episode arc. Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) and Cage (Mike Colter) are already familiar with one another, so we’re intrigued to find out how the likes of Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and Danny Rand (Finn Jones) play together once the chips are down and the battle for New York truly begins.
Set to feature at San Diego Comic-Con later this month (a new trailer, perhaps?), The Defenders has been locked in for a premiere on August 18th.
