Attendees of New York Comic Con were in for a huge treat at the panel for the latest Marvel Netflix undertaking The Defenders. Not only did Charlie Cox (Daredevil from Daredevil), Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones from Jessica Jones), Mike Colter (Luke Cage from Luke Cage) and Finn Jones (Iron Fist from the upcoming Iron Fist) appear on-stage, but those in attendance got to collectively lose their minds when it was announced that Sigourney Weaver had been cast as the villain of the show, according to Deadline.
Other than Weaver being confirmed as the villain in the upcoming show, no other details about her character have been released.
Comic Book has video from the event when Weaver’s casting was announced and, as expected, the crowd lost their minds and started chanting “holy s–t,” which Colter also began chanting from the stage.
Jeph Loeb, the executive vice president of Marvel Television said “Marvel is honored to have an actress of her caliber and status join what is already our biggest show ever! She is by definition a class act.”
There’s no premiere date set for the new series yet, but filming will take place in New York City soon.
Weaver is a well-known actress in Hollywood and on Broadway. She’s starred in movies like the Alien franchise, Ghostbusters II, Holes and Finding Dory, where she played herself. In terms of television, she’s starred in the miniseries The Best of Families, the TV movie Prayers for Bobby, Political Animals and has hosted Saturday Night Live twice, once in 1986 for the season 12 premiere and in 2010, which was the comedy sketch show’s 35th season.
Weaver is a three-time Academy Award nominee, a three-time Emmy Award nominee and a Tony Award nominee. She’s won one BAFTA Award and has won two Golden Globes.
The Defenders will consist of an eight-episode first season and will premiere some time in 2017. Daredevil has been renewed for third season and Jessica Jones has been renewed for second season. Luke Cage, which just premiered on Netflix on Sept. 30, and Iron Fist, which will premiere on March 17, 2017, have not been renewed for their next seasons.