This week saw the addition of a bit more casting to the Jessica Jones series for Marvel and Netflix as David Tennant has boarded the project in the role of Zebediah Killgrave, who is known as The Purple Man in the comics. Naturally, as he’s out there a bit more, questions are starting to hit as he does various bits of press. Right now, he’s off doing things for the second season of Broadchurch in the UK and was asked about it.
“I grew up an absolute devotee to the worlds of Marvel, so the fact that they’ve expanded into TV and film is a fact that I fantasized about when I was younger,” he told Radio Times magazine. “So now to be part of it, to be on the other side of it is a thrill.”
The character was originally created by Stan Lee and Joe Orlando with his first appearance way back in Daredevil #4 in 1964. There’s obviously a lengthy history for the character, but some elements are certain to be jettisoned while others refashioned or reworked to fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the needs of live action.
The property from the Marvel Comics world was being developed as far back as 2010 with Melissa Rosenberg set to write and run it and it made it close to going into the 2012 season with ABC, but ultimately the studio passed on it for a variety of reasons. Now Rosenberg will be shepherding the series through the Netflix deal with Marvel and ABC Studios.
Jessica Jones is slated to be the second show to run in the development schedule after Daredevil and will be followed up by the Luke Cage and Iron Fist series that culminates in The Defenders.
Melissa Rosenberg has been involved in television and film since the early 90′s starting with Part of Five and several other series, including writing for Birds of Prey and several Dexter episodes which got her an Emmy Award nomination. On the film side, she was the writer that adapted all the Twilight films.
Plot concept: After a tragic ending to her short-lived super hero stint, Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter, Don’t Trust the B—- in Apt. 23) is rebuilding her personal life and career as a detective who gets pulled into cases involving people with extraordinary abilities in New York City. An enigmatic figure from Jessica’s past, Kilgrave’s reappearance will send shockwaves through the former super hero’s world.
