While Netflix seems to have a very specific plan for 2015 – kickstarting the year with an announcement of its upcoming premiere dates – some of its most highly anticipated productions are still to be pinned down. With the first season of Daredevil already wrapped, its premiere is set for April 10th. However, being the first of five planned Marvel collaborations, the release schedule for the following four is still somewhat vague – calling into question the previous indication that AKA Jessica Jones may debut by the end of the year.
Talking to IGN at the Television Critics Association Press Tour, Chief Content Officer for Netflix, Ted Sarandos, has explained the status of AKA Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Defenders, as well the intervals we should expect between each.
“You should think of it as about roughly a year. Some will roll in as early as eight months and others as 15 months apart, and basically what it is is we’re not trying to meet a fall programming schedule, or trying to hit a grid number, so really we want to give the shows enough time.
“Jessica Jones hasn’t started production yet, so a lot happens from the first day on the set to the last day of production. So we want to give them enough room and enough time to make a great show. So, I don’t want them to set up a rigid timetable and deliver a show every eight months or every twelve months, but you should expect them about a year apart.”
As we know, the roles of Jessica Jones and Luke Cage have been cast, with Krysten Ritter and Mike Colter respectively beating out the competition. With production for Luke Cage clearly not planned to start for some time, this confirms that the character will feature in the AKA Jessica Jones series, as per the comic book source material. Casting for Iron Fist has yet to be announced, however, and similarly, there has been little official word on The Defenders, as yet.
While this may appear to be the kind of relaxed Netflix approach that many subscribers enjoy – content and productions unhindered by conventional network guidelines and schedules – it is important to remember that these are Marvel shows, and as such, are subject to that studio’s determination to have all its comic book character dots join up, without exception.
This being the case, the roll out of these Marvel-Netflix collaborations should be seen in conjunction with the already announced Marvel Cohesive Universe ‘Phase Three’, which takes the venture through to 2020. With a gap of between eight and fifteen months between each Netflix series, that fits in just nicely. As for AKA Jessica Jones and that hint of a 2015 debut – it has not been ruled out. If it came in at the end of the year, it would be eight months after Daredevil’s April premiere. But with production yet to get underway, it is just as likely to appear in 2016. The message is, just wait and see.