News on the planned Iron Fist series that was to round out Netflix’s individual Marvel properties has been bit sketchy. Though neither Marvel nor the streaming service ever said Iron Fist wouldn’t happen, fans have speculated that the martial-arts, Eastern-mythology based character might not fit with the gritty New York vibe that’s succeeding so well for Daredevil and Jessica Jones.
Mike Colter, the actor who plays Luke Cage has confirmed that the series is moving forward though. In a Collider interview with the Jessica Jones cast Colter revealed that Danny Rand/Iron Fist has been cast but kept the actor’s identity secret. “The actor has been cast, but he’s in a basement somewhere. When the time is right, they’ll let him up and tell him where he is.”
He also said the broadcast schedule of Iron Fist would give him time to recuperate before launching into the ensemble Defenders show featuring Cage, Jones, Iron Fist, and Daredevil. “I am [excited]. I’ll get a nice little break, after doing Jessica Jones and Luke Cage. Whether I’m in [his show], I don’t know, but there’s The Defenders.”
Netflix may not stick with the same noir feel for each of the series however, which would be a wise move to avoid audience burnout. While Colter declined to reveal details on the upcoming Luke Cage series he did comment that is it “completely different” and that the character heading to Uptown New York. He also said his arc on Jessica Jones helped him find the character in advance of carrying his own show.
What I enjoyed about being in the world of Jessica Jones, as Luke Cage, is that I wasn’t front and center because it was Jessica Jones’ story, but it allowed me to find the character from a different perspective. So often, when you’re playing the lead in your own show, it is all about you. The writing wasn’t for me, it was for her. But in the sense of how I was able to play off of her and understand our relationship, it helped me to understand who Luke Cage is, too.
We do know that actress Carrie-Anne Moss will carry her Jeri Hogarth character through into Iron Fist, though is she isn’t included in Luke Cage. Scott Buck (Dexter, Six Feet Under) will serve as showrunner and writer Scott Reynolds (Jessica Jones) may be joining the staff according to Cinema Blend.
In the Marvel comics Luke Cage and Iron Fist form a friendship after blackmail and a fight lead them to team up against the supervillain Bushmaster. The blackmail forced Cage to abduct detective Misty Knight, announced as Simone Missick for Luke Cage. Though it’s a longshot, and the actor will probably be revealed before Luke Cage airs in 2016, there’s always the fun chance that Danny Rand may pop up for a cameo during Luke Cage.
I’m personally kind of pulling for Steven Yeun to be cast into the role of Iron Fist, though it would infuriate legions of Walking Dead fans if they really did kill Glenn Rhee. Actors like Jon Foo (Tekken) and Yoshua Sudarso also have the martial arts experience and decent resumes, if not the draw of being a household name. It would be nice to see a relative unknown burst out with this role. Who do you see as Iron Fist?