One of the most highly-anticipated shows for 2016 is Marvel’s Luke Cage which after Jessica Jones and Daredevil is the next show in the series which will culminate in The Defenders – the team of the street heroes.
We had a chance to interview some of the cast and producers at the San Diego Comic Con (SDCC), and started off the interviews with cast member Theo Rossi (Shades) and Head of Marvel Television and executive producer, Jeph Loeb.
The two discussed the character of Shades, how he is an opportunist and Rossi describes what drives Shades as “what drives every person, to be in a better position than they were in yesterday.” In the comics, Shades was a criminal who was a former ally of Luke Cage who turned foe, but according to the descriptions by Rossi and Loeb it seems as if Shades will change alliances according to which will benefit him more.
Jeph Loeb also discusses his intentions with Luke Cage, how the series – even though it is coming in an opportune time is not simply meant to a protest piece or commentary on the recent racial tensions in the country, but it is to tell Luke’s story of redemption and how that fits into that.
Loeb also said that he originally pitched Netflix only the four stand alone shows with the fifth series being The Defenders, but the response was so great that Netflix wanted a second season of Daredevil even before The Defenders and that tells to the power of these stories and what they mean to the audience.
To find out more about the character of Shades, the importance of Luke Cage as a television series and what went into making in, watch the full interview below:
Marvel’s Luke Cage will stream on Netflix from September 30th.
