Power up, Power Man. The rumors are true. Marvel announced this afternoon that Mike Colter will play Luke Cage, known also as Power Man, for its upcoming Netflix series. However Colter won’t be starring in the mooted solo Luke Cage series, at least not yet. The actor will appear as Marvel’s well known African-American hero in their Jessica Jones show starring Krysten Ritter now titled, “A.K.A. Jessica Jones.”
Here’s some plot details via Marvel’s press release: During the course of an investigation in New York City, private investigator Jessica Jones encounters the enigmatic Luke Cage – a man whose past has secrets that will dramatically alter Jessica in ways she could never have imagined.
Colter is currently starring in the PlayStation Network’s original series “Halo: Nightfall” as Jameson Locke. He has appeared in a number of critically-acclaimed television series, including “The Good Wife” and “American Horror Story: Coven,” and also had a small role in Clint Eastwood‘s "Million Dollar Baby." “Mike embodies the strength, edge and depth of Luke Cage,” said Executive Producer/Showrunner Melissa Rosenberg. “We’re excited to have him bring this iconic Marvel character to life.”
The Jessica Jones show sounds a bit more like “Veronica Mars," and is set after the tragic ending to the character’s super hero career. She’s rebuilding her personal life and is establishing a career as a detective who gets pulled into cases involving people with extraordinary abilities in New York City.
It’s unclear if today’s announcement means that there will be no Luke Cage show as originally planned or if they’re simply doing their usual cinematic world-building. Marvel’s “Daredevil” show will air next year and “A.K.A Jessica Jones” will surface in 2015 sometime afterwards. Marvel’s original announcement included a Luke Cage show as well as one devoted to his one-time partner Iron Fist. No casting or creative team have been announced around either character yet. Meanwhile, here’s two new “Dardevil” images below, depicting the show’s lead actor Charlie Cox, via EW.
