Before Finn Jones was cast as Marvel and Netflix's latest Defender in Iron Fist, the actor already had plenty of experience with big genre television. Jones previously appeared in a recurring role on Game of Thrones as Loras Tyrell, an extremely popular show that had plenty of its own lofty expectations from fans. Much like Iron Fist, HBO's smash hit is an adaptation, and working on that fantasy show gave Jones just the insight and experience he needed to play Danny Rand. Jones learned how to find inspiration from source material while still providing his own spin on the character.
Finn Jones isn't the only Game of Thrones actor who exchanged their broadswords for fists. Jessica Henwick is portraying Colleen Wing on Iron Fist, but she's also played Nymeria Sand, one of the Sand Snakes, on Game of Thrones. As Jones and Henwick told Collider, they took their experience adapting Game of Thrones and applied it to their performances in Iron Fist, creating something that was respectful to the source material, but still their own.
We both worked on Game of Thrones for six years, and I don't know about you, but what I learned about being on that show, and it was an adaptation, is that it's important to just deal with the source material that you've got in front of you. You know, I found reading the comic books and watching the other Netflix series is really good for getting an idea of the tone of the character in the shows. I just stayed very focused to our version of Danny Rand and what I can bring to the role, rather than emulate something that's been before.
Adaptation is the key word for Iron Fist. Much like its brothers (Daredevil, Luke Cage) and sister (Jessica Jones), the Netflix show won't be a straight up word-for-word reenactment of a comic book storyline. You'd be hard pressed to find any adaptation that doesn't deviate away from the books at some points. Using those comics to inform the tone seems like a smart idea, and it probably wouldn't be much fun to watch Iron Fist if you knew everything that was coming or what all the character relationships were beforehand.
Iron Fist will tell the origin story of Danny Rand, an heir to a corporate enterprise that went missing as a child. Having been found by the residents of a mythical city, he learns martial arts and becomes the supernatural warrior known as Iron Fist. Now he returns to New York City to reclaim his family company and clean up the streets with his sick kung fu moves.
Iron Fist premieres March 17, 2017, on Netflix. To learn about more Netflix TV shows heading our way, check out our 2017 Netflix premiere guide!
