After numerous requests from fans, Moon Knight is set to bring the hero to life in his very own Disney+ series.
The show is being headlined by veteran actors Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke, though their inclusions caused a certain level of surprise among fans. Isaac had somewhat of a negative superhero experience working on X-Men: Apocalypse, but chose to join Moon Knight because he "found an opportunity to do something that [he's] not done at all yet."
Hawke has been vocal about his aversion to the superhero genre in the past, but found Moon Knight freeing due to the lack of expectations associated with the character.
Mohamed Diab has been tapped to direct four of the six episodes of the series, being the first Middle Eastern director to helm a Marvel Studios project. The filmmaker is also joined by two other indie directors, with Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead rounding out the lead creative team.
Recently, Diab opened up about working on the project and what Moon Knight will be bringing to the MCU...
Mohamed Diab Hits the Jackpot
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Moon Knight director Mohamed Diab discussed his experience leading up to landing the project in addition to what fans can expect from the show.
Diab started by expressing his gratitude for being able to be a part of the series: “Thank God, I hit the jackpot!”
Despite the daunting nature of Moon Knight being Diab's first major Hollywood production and his first project entirely in English, the director affirmed that he "always love[s] to have a new challenge.”
“Definitely, when you see this you will not recognize that it's me directing it...But I'm so proud of it. I always love to have a new challenge.”
Marvel Studios reportedly contacted Diab "out of the blue” to apply for the project, leading to him producing a 200-page pitch alongside his wife and creative collaborator Sarah Gohar, in which he had full faith:
“Honestly, it was a great pitch. The moment we finished it I told Sarah that if we didn't get this job, something was wrong,”
Naturally, Moon Knight proved to be a major learning experience for Diab, and he had nothing but praise for the "geniuses" at Marvel Studios through it all:
“It's been such a great experience — I'm learning a lot...I'm appreciating things more about my independent movies, and I'm appreciating things about the big machine. I can't compare Marvel to anything else, but it's a great machine. Those guys are geniuses.”
Diab went on to mention that he would be bringing the "hard, serious" themes of his indie projects to Moon Knight, while also ensuring that there's plenty of humor to go around:
“My movies are hard, serious and about big topics, and I feel strongly that Moon Knight is going to be like that — it's going to be entertainment but also heavy...At the same time, we're being so creative with the jokes and with the action. As I keep saying to my wife: I can't believe I'm funny in another language!”
A Heavy But Humorous Moon Knight
Marvel Studios has prioritized making their projects distinct from one another as of late, and bringing in fresh faces like Mohamed Diab only helps to embolden that goal. From how Diab describes Moon Knight, the series will be another unique entry in the ever-growing MCU.
Diab's past experience working with heavy themes should compliment the Disney+ series nicely, allowing Moon Knight to properly explore and dissect its more serious topics like the lead character's dissociative identity disorder. Diab did make it clear that the show won't be all doom-and-gloom though, with the humor hopefully helping to counterbalance the more somber moments.
The director producing a 200-page pitch with his wife should also demonstrate Diab's passion for the project, as he clearly has many ideas for how to handle the character. With a killer cast and creative team behind the series, Moon Knight is poised to become one of the most intriguing MCU projects of Phase 4.
Moon Knight debuts on Disney+ in 2022.
