One thing that Marvel films and shows have in common is that they all are character studies, believes 'Moon Knight' executive producer Grant Curtis.
Starring Hollywood star Oscar Isaac in the lead, the new show introduces Marvel fans to Steven Grant, a mild-mannered man, who discovers that he has dissociative identity disorder and shares a body with Marc Spector, a former mercenary and the ruthless avatar of Khonshu, the Egyptian god of the moon and vengeance.
The Marvel Studios series, directed by Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Diab along with Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, currently streams on streaming service Disney+ Hotstar.
From the first look at the character, Curtis said the character is quite different from the ones that fans have seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) but there is a similarity as well.
"'Moon Knight' is different because it's a very complex character who is struggling with some mental health issues and has a very complex life that he's trying to juggle, but in a lot of ways, he's very similar to other Marvel offerings in the past.
"I do think that one thing that people don't quite always grasp is that at the heart of all Marvel movies there is a character study. Whether it's a character study of Peter Parker or Tony Stark or in this case Marc Spector and Steven Grant, at the core of these are character studies," he said.
Curtis serves as an executive producer on the series along with Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, lead star Isaac, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Mohamed Diab and head writer Jeremy Slater.
The chance to explore these comic characters is why popular actors of Hollywood are also attracted to Marvel projects, he added.
"I think that's why a lot of actors are attracted to these roles like Oscar Isaac or Ethan Hawke. These are character pieces that turn into action, adventure pieces a lot of times, but at their core, it's just really searching the soul of these incredible characters that were created by the Marvel artists years, sometimes decades ago," Curtis said.
Curtis said the idea to make a series on the comic book character of Moon Knight came from Feige, the main architect of money-minting franchise MCU.
"It was really a conversation with the main man at Marvel, Kevin Feige. Kevin said, 'Hey, I want to do Moon Knight as a Disney+ series.' And that's really how my involvement began because I work at Marvel Studios and that was the project that I was lucky enough to be assigned.
"I fell in love with the character. Obviously I knew the character before we started working on this, but wasn't able to really dive into the depths before starting this project. But once I started reading the comics and turning the pages... every page is a mystery. Just when you think you have 'Moon Knight' figured out, you turn the page and everything that you thought you knew, you realize you don't know," he added.
The executive producer said the show is a "globe trotting action adventure".
"The Marvel humor is inherent and apparent in 'Moon Knight', just like all the other movies. I think it makes for a very rich tapestry of a series. And we are excited to bring this to the world."
Asked about a potential second season of the series, Curtis said the decision solely depends on Feige.
"He is the master behind the Marvel cinematic universe and we'll see where 'Moon Knight' lands. I think the way we leave the show after the last episode, it's limitless. There are opportunities for the character to do anything Kevin wants him to do. And I can't wait as a fan boy to see what happens to 'Moon Knight' next," he added.
'Moon Knight' also stars Ethan Hawke and May Calamawy. The show started streaming on Disney+ Hotstar from March 30 and is available in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and English.
[With Inputs From PTI]
