Two beloved stars of Marvel TV shows are coming together, as Jessica Jones vet Krysten Ritter is joining WandaVision’s own Elizabeth Olsen for a killer new streaming show. And while it’s not exactly the MCU superhero team-up fans would probably hope for, it’s still better than nothing. (And there's always the future.)
Krysten Ritter, who played the titular super-powered Jessica Jones in Marvel's Netflix series, has been cast in David E. Kelley’s limited series Love & Death, according to TVLine. The actress joins fellow Marvel hero Elizabeth Olsen and American Horror Story alum Lily Rabe in the HBO Max series, which was inspired by not only the true-crime book Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs, but also articles from Texas Monthly. Love & Death follows two god-fearing couples in a small town whose relatively simple lives in the Lone Star State are flipped upside down once someone starts swinging an axe.
Elizabeth Olsen is trading in her Scarlet Witch powers for blunt instruments, as she’s going to play real-life axe murderer Candy Montgomery. Krysten Ritter has been cast as Candy’s best friend Sherry Cleckler, while the previously announced Lily Rabe is set to play her friend and eventual victim Betty Gore. One can only hope Sherry Cleckler is known for wearing protective suits of armor all the time.
Krysten Ritter is most known for her roles in Breaking Bad, Don’t Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 and, of course, Jessica Jones. Love & Death will potentially be her first television role since the Marvel Netflix series came to an end in 2019 after three seasons and 39 episodes. Jessica Jones was the final Netflix Marvel show to conclude on the streaming service, after the Defenders-based series were cancelled ahead of Marvel Television's dissolution, which all happened prior to Marvel Studios leaning into TV fare on Disney+.
Last year, Krysten Ritter was poised to star in her first Jessica Jones follow-up, which hailed from Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23 creator Nahnatchka Khan. The would-be series is based off of the novel Serial Killer Anonymous by Charles Warady and it was reported that different companies were in a bidding war over who would land the rights. The project is still in development, so it’s hard to tell if and when that show will move forward with Love & Death in the mix.
When Jessica Jones’ cancellation was announced in early 2019, Krysten Ritter took to Instagram to share a bittersweet message with fans and a picture she had taken from the final table read. While it seems like she’s not too interested in coming back to the MCU, at least for now, fans can still get somewhat of a crossover when she and Elizabeth Olsen play BFFs in Love & Death. The show also stars fellow Breaking Bad and El Camino alum Jesse Plemons, Outcast’s Patrick Fugit, Atypical's Keir Gilchrist, House of Cards' Elizabeth Marvel, and Ozark’s Tom Pelphrey.
There is no word on when Love & Death will premiere on HBO Max, but there are more than enough 2021 Fall TV series to keep audiences busy while waiting to hear updates.
