Comics are far from America’s most popular hobby, yet comic book movies continue to be wildly successful. While it's unsurprising that movies with Batman and Spider-Man in them do well, even those with less popular characters, like Ghost Rider and Daredevil, have eclipsed the $100 million mark. With a back catalog containing thousands of heroes, popular or no, it makes financial sense to capitalize on a boom that can see a movie make back half of its $200 million budget domestically in three days. This is a fact not lost on Marvel.
In an article written by the Los Angeles Times, it's being suggested that we are closer than ever to seeing a movie based on the Marvel character Luke Cage, also known as Power Man. We’ve heard Luke Cage feature for years, with John Singleton regularly attached as a director and Tyrese Gibson suggested to star, but this suggests that "a notable Hollywood star" is now in preliminary talks for the role.
In the comics the character is framed for a crime he didn’t commit and sent to jail. While imprisoned, in exchange for parole, he agrees to be a subject of a medical experiment that could potentially make him immune to all diseases. Instead, the experiment gives him steel hard skin and incredible strength. Cage breaks out of prison, dons a costume, and becomes a hero for hire. The character is often connected with another New York based hero, Iron Fist, an incredible martial artist with the ability to channel his chi into his fists to deliver devastating blows. Iron First would likely share screen time with Cage.
Iron Man will always be looked back on as the litmus test for lesser-popular heroes and, in light of its massive success, we’re only going to see more in coming years. Luke Cage already has ties to the movie world (it's the origin of Nicolas Cage's last name), and could add some diversity to the pool of white boys that already have been adapted.
