With Marvel's Daredevil Netflix series in production and on schedule to debut its first season next year, it was only a matter of time before we started hearing updates about the other shows that are currently in the works. Who will be joining Charlie Cox's Daredevil as Jessica Jones and Luke Cage? If new reports can be believed, then the answer to that question has been narrowed down to a handful of names.
Deadline has the scoop on the shortlist of actors who are currently being considered for the titular leads in both the upcoming Jessica Jones and Luke Cage Netflix shows. According to the site's sources, Marvel is currently looking at Krysten Ritter, Alexandra Daddario, Teresa Palmer and Jessica De Gouw to play their superpowered private detective in the former series:
And word is that Lance Gross and Mike Colter are being looked at as potential casting options for the yellow-shirted, unbreakable hero in the latter:
Adding a fun little wrinkle to this story is the reasoning behind the simultaneous casting. Apparently there is a plan to have Luke Cage featured in 6-7 episodes of Jessica Jones' show before going on to be featured in his own series. It's also worth noting that Luke Cage is referred to as the fourth of the Netflix shows, which possibly means that Iron Fist could be preceding it - though we haven't heard word one about the finding the lead of that title yet. Luke Cage hasn't hired a showrunner yet, though Jessica Jones has Twilight screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg putting things together behind the scenes (having been hired to work on the project all the way back in 2010).
To take a closer look at the actors being considered for both shows, it's interesting that Marvel is looking at some pretty big names for Jessica Jones. Both Alexandra Daddario and Teresa Palmer have had big screen leading role experience, and Krysten Ritter has already had experience as the lead of her own show. Jessica De Gouw is perhaps the lesser known name of the group, but she has a leg up thanks to her previous superhero experience playing The Huntress on Arrow.
As for the Luke Cage casting, both Lance Gross and Mike Colter are rather on the same level career-wise, both having found success on the small screen. After years on the TBS sitcom House of Payne, Gross is one of the leads on the NBC series Crisis. Colter, meanwhile, has had long stays on shows like Ringer and The Following, and currently can be seen starring on The Good Wife.
Do you see a pair of names in this article that you would like to see play Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, respectively, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Is there someone else you think Marvel should be looking at? Hit the comments to tell us what you think!
