Marvel will develop four original series exclusively for streaming service Netflix, followed by a mini-series that brings the four shows together.
Unlike other live-action content Marvel has developed outside of their films (i.e. the Agents Of Shield TV show and Marvel One-Shot shorts), these series won't star government agents and civilians on the fringes of the action, but honest-to-God superheroes with actual fan followings.
The series will focus on Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage, in that order. Netflix has committed to a minimum of four 13-episode series which will begin streaming in 2015 before culminating in The Defenders, a miniseries that links the four shows.
Presumably Netflix will follow the binge-viewing model that worked for House Of Cards and Arrested Development, and make every episode of each series available at the same time. Given that 2015 will also see the release of The Avengers: Age Of Ultron and Superman Vs Batman, you're going to be seeing a lot of superheroes that year.
"This deal is unparalleled in its scope and size, and reinforces our commitment to deliver Marvel's brand, content and characters across all platforms of storytelling," said Marvel Entertainment president Alan Fine. "This serialised epic expands the narrative possibilities of on-demand television and gives fans the flexibility to immerse themselves how and when they want in what's sure to be a thrilling and engaging adventure."
Of course, some fans will be cynical about how this will all shake out — it's in their nature — but there's every reason to think this will be a massive success.
Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage are four characters that fans have long believed would work on the small screen — Daredevil's a legal drama, Jessica Jones is a detective procedural, Iron Fist is a kung fu flick and Luke Cage is a street-level superhero show (if played straight) or a blaxploitation parody (if played for laughs). There are plenty of examples of all these genres being done well on the cheap.
Better yet, all four characters have a shared history together in the Marvel comics universe, so their team-up in The Defenders should be a natural fit (and their group dynamic should be unique enough to avoid coming off as the low-budget Avengers).
Cautious optimism it is, then.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)
