At a press conference for Moon Knight, directors and cast members discussed what’s to come in the new Marvel Studios series, which arrives March 30 on Disney+. Sort everything in this note!
In a week the fans of Marvel and the superheroes will have in Disney+ a new series to enjoy. Moon Knight reaches the platform streaming on March 30 and will introduce us not only to a new character in the MCUbut a whole new story. Culture Geek was at the press conference for the series, where Oscar Isaac, Ethan Hawke, May Calamawy and members of the production gave details about Moon Knight and what can we expect.
For those who don’t know, Moon Knight will follow Steve Grant, an employee at a gift shop who lives a worldly life. However, he suffers from blackouts or blackouts and has mysterious memories of a life that is not his own. In a moment, Steven discovers that he has a dissociative identity disorder and that he shares a body with Mark Specter, former mercenary and the avatar of Khonshū, the Egyptian god of the moon and revenge. Due to this complicated situation, Steven will have to adapt and work with Mark so as not to be harmed in a deadly battle between the mighty gods of Egypt.
The creator of the series, Jeremy SlaterHe explained at the press conference: “In essence, Moon Knight was designed as a mystery: Who is Steve Grant and why does he keep dreaming of another life as a traveling mercenary? And what happens when elements of those dreams begin to invade his sleepless hours? the journey of Steven searching for answers leads him to a hidden world of gods and monsters, and a battle that could shape the future of the MCU. Our team was heavily inspired by classic adventure movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark, with the goal of telling a relentlessly entertaining story full of unexpected twists and turns.”
The production of the series made it very clear that they took the story of this new superhero (which is based on Egyptology) and infused it with adventure, intensity and mystery. “The avant-garde and dark themes of Moon Knight and character exploration add another dimension to the storytelling of MCU“he explained Kevin Feig, President of Marvel Studios and one of the executive producers of the series.
Moon Knight first appeared in the comic Marvel “Werewolf by Night” #32 in 1975. Here we were introduced to Marc Specteralso know as Steve Grant, a former marine and CIA agent who became a mercenary and ultimately the earthly avatar of Khonshū. executive producer Grant Curtis he pointed: “We embraced the supernatural aspects that were in the comics, the Egyptian gods, this ruthless Egyptian god Khonshū that manipulates Mark to carry out your orders. We’re including all of that.”
While embracing the darker and grittier aspects of the original character, Moon Knight also aims to show the public a modern side of the character, exploring a superhero from Marvel that audiences have never seen on screen before. slater and his team used the comics as guidance and inspiration for the series, but added to the story, which takes place in the MCU current, the action and mystery exclusive to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In the moment in wich oscar isaacwho plays Steve Grant already Marc Specter in the series, he had to describe Steven said: “He is completely honest and says what he sees. It’s often very funny, but it’s not funny to him because he doesn’t know he’s being funny. There is a real social awkwardness in him. He doesn’t have the social skills that his alter ego has. Mark Steven he’s non-violent, he doesn’t eat meat, he cares about people and wants to connect.”. Marc Specteron the other hand, is just the opposite.
As the separate lives of Mark and Steve they are facing, Steven is forced to accept the fact that he is also the avatar of Khonshūand in those cases his alter ego is that of the mr knight. This character, with the knowledge that he has of Steven about the ancient Egyptian world, will complement the superhero of Mark, Moon Knight, as his approach to conflict uses his wits and puzzle solving.
Khonshū he is described as the Egyptian god of the moon and the self-proclaimed god of vengeance. He walked the earth for centuries waging war against perceived injustices, but his actions made him an outcast among his fellow gods and, as a result, Khonshū now he needs his earthly avatar, Mark Specter, to continue enacting their version of divine justice.
Important themes that will be in Moon Knight
In this new series of Disney+ There will be several important and interesting topics on the table, but there are two in particular that are going to stand out a lot in the six episodes: ancient Egypt, its culture and gods, and the mental health of the protagonist.
Marvel Studios made sure that all the people who were working on the production of the series had research material to be informed not only about the history of Moon Knight, but also over Egypt. They received various reference books on ancient Egyptian culture and the various Egyptian deities and consulted experts including an Egyptian archaeologist, two Egyptologists, a supervising Egyptian art director, and more.
Although sometimes we will see the protagonist as a hero and others as a villain, Mark you will always be dealing with your mental health. “Moon Knight is without a doubt a hero unlike anything we have seen before in the MCU. He is a brutal and uncompromising warrior… but he is also a man at war with his own mind. I think the character’s struggles with his mental health allowed us to create a really compelling character study while also providing all the action and humor that fans of Marvel are waiting“, said slater.
In order to deal with the subject of mental health with sensitivity and depth, the directors of Moon Knight they consulted Dr. Paul Puri, a board-certified psychiatrist, clinical assistant professor at UCLA, and past president of the UCLA Psychiatric Clinical Faculty Association on aspects of dissociative identity disorder. In this way, both actors and directors would be better prepared to deal with the disorder and its implications.
On how they captured this theme in the series, oscar isaac said: “I think it was just about being honest about what dissociative identity disorder is, and what a lot of people have to deal with, which is really intense childhood trauma and how it manifests in adulthood. I think for us it was about authenticity, even more than the communication of the story.”
To this, Ethan Hawkewho gives life to Arthur Harrow in the series, he added: “It’s especially interesting to take your hero and present him with a real source of pain in mental illness. It is not a joke. He is a guy who is really fighting, and it is very interesting to have a protagonist who suffers a lot and who is not a classic hero ”.
Cast and production
The cast is made up of oscar isaac What Steven Grant/Mr. Knight and Marc Spector/Moon Knight Ethan Hawke brings to life the infamous, but philosophical Arthur Harrow, May Calamawy interprets Layla El Faoulyan archaeologist and adventurer who knows well Mark Specter, Gaspard Ulliel What Anton Mogart, among others. Muhammad Diab (the first Arab director to launch a project of Marvel) and Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead direct episodes of the series, while the showrunner is Jeremy Slater.
The executive producers are: Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Grant Curtis, Oscar Isaac, Mohamed Diab and Jeremy Slaterwith Trevor Waterson and rebecca kirsch as co-executive producers.
What to expect about Moon Knight?
When talking about what most excites the protagonists, Ethan Hawke said: “The visuals will be amazing and the world building is very rich and interesting. But I am interested in the duality aspect and how it will play out. The story has a dual nature, and everything is laid out in a very fascinating way. I’ve never seen that kind of brain teaser in a movie before. MarvelStudios”.
For oscar isaacexploration of the character of Marc Spector/Steven Grant is an exciting part of the series: “It’s a real, legitimate character study and a terrifying psychological thriller”. And he added: “It’s an amazing story of supernatural adventures and a real investigation into trauma and mental health. It is made with sincerity and authenticity. Moon Knight it’s just a really powerful piece of entertainment.”
Hold on, heart, hold on, there’s a week left to welcome Steve Grant and Marc Specter to the screen. Moon Knight arrives on Disney+ on March 30.