It has been rumored for years, but Marvel has gone into active development of Moon Knight for a Disney+ release.
Marvel has signed one of the writers for Umbrella Academy to head the writer’s room and work as showrunner for the series. Marvel also signed a fantastic indie filmmaking duo to direct several episodes.
Moon Knight coming to Disney+
The rumors hit late last year that Oscar Isaac (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) would star as Moon Knight, but Marvel didn’t immediately confirm this.
Now, it is a fact, and not only does Moon Knight have its star, but it also has its showrunner locked in.
Marvel Studios has signed Jeremy Slater to lead the writers’ room and work as the showrunner for Moon Knight. Before this, Slater wrote the pilot for Netflix’s Umbrella Academy and also worked as the showrunner for The Exorcist on Fox.
“I can tell you that, we’ve assembled a room full of brilliant writers who truly love this character, and we’re all hard at work crafting something special for you,” Slater tweeted when he picked up the role in 2019. “So stick around and stay tuned. Moon Knight is on the way, and it’s going to be one hell of a ride.”
THR reported on Friday that Marvel Studios had signed Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead to work as directors on Moon Knight. The duo co-directed the fantastic 2020 sci-fi series Synchronic with MCU actor Anthony Mackie (Falcon).
They join Mohamed Diab, the Egyptian filmmaker behind Middle Eastern drama Clash, who has also signed on as one of the directors.
Who is Moon Knight?
Moon Knight isn’t one of the Marvel heroes that mainstream fans know a lot about, although he remains a fan favorite for comic book fans.
Making his first appearance in 1975 in the comic book title Werewolf by Night, Moon Knight was initially a mercenary named Marc Specter. He was a villain in that issue, hunting down the hero werewolf, but became an antihero by the end of that story.
When Moon Knight got his own comic, his character ended up as one of the most unique in Marvel Comics.
While people who know little about Moon Knight consider him Marvel’s version of Batman, that is far from the truth.
Specter is a former mercenary who almost died in Egypt but ended up with a second chance at life when the moon god Khonshu offered to save him if Marc would become its new host.
For many years, it was not clear if Khonshu was real or a figment of Marc’s imagination, although, in the 2020 Avengers comics, it was proven Khonshu was more than real.
On top of Specter and Moon Knight, he also has other aliases. He is Steven Grant, a millionaire. He is Jake Lockley, a cab driver. The four identities allowed him to fit in anywhere and get information from the streets and the levels of big business.
However, these identities took their toll, and Moon Knight ended up with Dissociative identity disorder, making him an unreliable and often violent superhero.
He also has no superpowers, although Khnonshu gives him increased strength, speed, and endurance, depending on the moon’s phase.
Moon Knight should hit Disney+ in 2022 at the earliest. Click here for a look at the upcoming Marvel TV shows and movie releases.