When Luke Cage returns for Season 2, its first episode will be helmed by a familiar face. Marvel enlisted actress Lucy Liu to direct the premiere to Season 2 of the series, and Mike Colter was apparently a big fan of having her on set. Colter talks about what it was like having Liu direct Luke Cage below:
She came in very guns ablazin'. She was very positive with lots of energy. She's a sweetie. She's really a sweetheart. She is very strong, and she has a strong vision, a strong point of view, and she's a strong leader, but she doesn't do it with that bad-assery that you see on screen. She does it with kindness and sugar. You get more flies with honey, right? And she was good like that. The crew was really willing to listen to her because she appeals to everybody. She had this vibe about her that makes you feel like she's supportive and a positive energy. She's an actor's director because she's an actress, herself.
Mike Colter dropped a lot of adjectives to describe Lucy Liu, and not one of them was negative in the slightest. Of course, as he mentions in his quote to Collider, a lot of this seems rooted in the fact that Liu is an actress stepping into the role of director which gives her the experience of being on both sides of the camera. While a good chunk of great directors have made due without acting in front of the camera, Liu's ability to empathize with and influence actors on set seems to have left a positive impact on Colter.
It also probably helps that Luke Cage was not Lucy Liu's first rodeo when it came to directing. Liu has done a handful of episodes for her CBS series Elementary, the series Graceland, and got her directorial debut with the 2011 film Meena. While all of those projects are an entirely different beast than directing a Marvel series the level of Luke Cage, it looks like Liu was up to the task and at least did well enough to win props from Mike Colter!
Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that Lucy Liu had a part to play on screen in the upcoming Season 2 of Luke Cage, but it's probably best they didn't force it if there was nothing there. Perhaps, if the experience was as positive for everyone else involved as it was for Mike Colter, this means Liu will have a future in directing more episodes of Luke Cage or perhaps one of Marvel's other shows. With each show looking ahead to the next season, who knows who could snatch her up again to call on her directing skills?
Luke Cage Season 2 is expected to premiere in 2018. Hopefully more information about the upcoming season will continue to roll out as San Diego Comic Con continues. For more on Luke Cage and its new season be sure to read up on the actor tapped to play a villain in the series. Also get excited to see Luke Cage in The Defenders which is due out on Netflix Friday, August 18th. For news relating to summer programming and a guide on where to find all the hottest shows of the summer, visit our summer premiere guide.
