Marvel and Netflix announced this morning that they are developing four series plus a mini-series event based on comic characters.
The first series will be focused on “Daredevil” followed by “Jessica Jones,” “Iron Fist,” and “Luke Cage.”
Writes Marvel in a press release, “the epic will unfold over multiple years of original programming, taking Netflix members deep into the gritty world of heroes and villains of Hell’s Kitchen, New York. Netflix has committed to a minimum of four, thirteen episodes series and a culminating Marvel’s “The Defenders” mini-series event that reimagines a dream team of self-sacrificing, heroic characters.”
Said Alan Fine, President of Marvel Entertainment, “This deal is unparalleled in its scope and size, and reinforces our commitment to deliver Marvel’s brand, content and characters across all platforms of storytelling. Netflix offers an incredible platform for the kind of rich storytelling that is Marvel’s specialty,” said Alan Fine, President of Marvel Entertainment. “This serialized epic expands the narrative possibilities of on-demand television and gives fans the flexibility to immerse themselves how and when they want in what’s sure to be a thrilling and engaging adventure.”
Let’s not forget, Marvel studios’ head-boy Kevin Feige has remarked about wanting to tell stories about ol’ hornhead, so an equal enthusiasm for heroes Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Jessica Jones is to be expected. With the addition of the possible Defenders mini-series, that makes five.
Marvel has a long-standing history of making lots of money with their “high-fun/low-risk” formula, but this deal with Netflix may allow them to pursue a darker avenue. For those who don’t know the characters intimately, it may seem like a random assortment of heroes, but these specific characters all have different motives and virtues that divide them and ultimately bring them together in Hell’s Kitchen, New York.
Fans of the FOX film may already recognize the super-sensed-but-visually-challenged Daredevil, but Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist haven’t yet been represented on screen, and especially not with the uber-canon-official Marvel stamp of approval.
Luke Cage
In the comics, Luke Cage was sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit (possession of heroin, which is another sign that if Marvel plays the origins to the chest, it’ll have to be more grown up than their feature films), and in exchange for parole, agrees to a prisoner experiment program based on the original Super Soldier serum that gave Captain America his powers.
He is given near impenetrable skin and super strength, and after donning his trademark costume, uses his powers to begin a Hero-For-Hire program. Basically, he’ll commit acts of heroism for anyone who can meet his price.
He runs into Jessica Jones during his adventures (and they eventually get married and have a child that they name after…guess what…Danny Rand. AKA The Iron Fist.), so it may be safe to assume that these mini series’ will weave in and out of eachother.
Whether they premiere together in one batch, or spread out over the course of the year, is yet to be seen.
Jessica Jones
Interestingly enough, Jessica Jones’ origins are very closely tied to Peter Parker, which is still firmly the property of Sony. This will probably mean that we’ll see her backstory begin when her family collides with a military convoy truck carrying radioactive chemicals. Her entire family dies, but the chemicals granted her superpowers.
At the moment, it’s unclear if she’ll stick with the name “Jessica Jones”, or don another one of her many names, Knightress, Jewel, or Power Woman.
Iron Fist
To us, it’s clear that Iron Fist will be told in as a classic martial arts story, but since he’s Luke Cage’s best friend and all, we’re likely to see them together at some point.
Iron Fist gets his powers from his travels to the mystical city of K’un L’un, where he seeks to learn the ancient arts of the Iron Fist from his master, Lei Kung, the Thunderer.
There are plenty of Iron Fists before him, and at this point we don’t know if we’ll see a complete origin story, or if we’ll begin with the Iron Fist in Hell’s Kitchen as he works with Luke Cage as a fellow Hero for Hire.
At the moment there are plenty of unanswered questions regarding these four (five?) upcoming Netflix series’, and Hypable will be covering everything from casting to filming once more information is made available.
Marvel’s first television show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. debuted on ABC in September and has been slumping in the ratings over the past few weeks. The show, however, has a passionate fan base. The studio said recently that they were working on multiple new television projects, and this seems to be where they’re all going.
Netflix has been on a mission to introduce more original programming to make the streaming service compete with broadcast television. House of Cards and Orange is the New Black have been Netflix’s two biggest hits so far, with each currently filming second seasons scheduled to be released in 2014.
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