The four-series deal between Marvel and Netflix is slowly edging closer to screens, with new names added to the casting shortlists for Jessica Jones and Luke Cage. With the first of the four shows – Daredevil – already in production, Jones, Cage and Iron Fist are still to be cast, before the four characters come together for a Defenders mini-series.
As the second of the four series, Jessica Jones will be written and executive produced by Melissa Rosenberg (Twilight), and features the titular character who essentially originated in the story of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. She was present when he was bitten by the radioactive spider, and was soon exposed to radiation herself in a car crash that killed her entire family. Adopted by the Jones family, she soon discovered she had superpowers. Eventually hanging up her superhero cape, she founded a private detective agency, through which she is continually, and reluctantly, drawn back into the superhero life.
The current casting shortlist reportedly features Krysten Ritter (Breaking Bad), Alexandro Daddario (Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters), Teresa Palmer (Warm Bodies), Jessica De Gouw (Arrow), and the newly added Marin Ireland (The Divide, pictured above).
Luke Cage will be next on the production slate, and is a character that grew up amidst gangs and organized crime in New York City’s Harlem. He eventually volunteered for experimental cell regeneration – not unlike the Super Soldier process often seen in superhero stories – but, when an enemy interfered with the process, Cage was transformed into a superhero.
The current casting list for the role of Luke Cage is shorter than that for Jessica Jones, and features Lance Gross (House Of Payne), Mike Colter (The Good Wife, Zero Dark Thirty), and the newly added Cleo Anthony (Transparent, Divergent).
Being such high-profile projects, these roles are sought after, to say the least. Now that Daredevil is already filming, with a cast that features Charlie Cox, Rosario Dawson, Scott Glenn and Vincent D’Onofrio, it is clear that this Marvel/Netflix partnership are looking for top casting choices for iconic roles. It is hoped that Jessica Jones will reach the screen late in 2015, so that lead role choice should be announced soon, followed by the same for Luke Cage.
