We've heard the casting announcements for Netflix Daredevil, Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. The only series we are still waiting for word on a lead actor is Iron Fist. I have read rumors of Zac Ephron and Charlie Hunnam, but neither really fits the role in my mind. Marvel always seems to come up with out of left field casting choices that somehow work, so I'll trust their judgment on this one. Hopefully whoever they select will be able to showcase some cool martial arts moves as well as acting chops.
By the way... did you know that The Lost Issues has lost issues of its own? I'll be presenting them on this blog as just one of the special features of the STF 1000th Issue Spectacular! Coming up in just over a week!
Isn't Danny Rand based on Chuck Norris, or is that an urban legend? What drew me to Iron Fist in the '70's David Carradine's Kung Fu. That was a cool show. It looks like rather than going for a name the Netflix Marvel series are going for character actors - which is good.
ReplyDeleteTwo Words: Ray Park. He's even said he'd do it for a movie.
ReplyDeleteBased on their choices for Murdock, Jones and Cage, I think they are going to cast younger.
ReplyDelete@AirDave: Considering that when Iron Fist was created, Norris was only known for playing villains I would be surprised if he was the inspiration. I think that Marvel was thinking along the lines of Sam Phillips when he signed Elvis Presley. They already had Shang Chi, but figured they could cash in on the kung fu craze even more with a white martial artist. A white kid who's orphaned and raised in an alien culture is going to draw comparisons to Tarzan, but since Marvel already had a Tarzan clone, Ka-Zar, they made Iron Fist a descendant of the Golden Age Ka-Zar as an in-joke. (He's blond, last name Rand, heir to a fortune...)
ReplyDeleteThere might be an interview in "Back Issue" or some other TwoMorrows magazine that mentions a Chuck Norris connection, but I don't remember hearing that.
Marvel was certainly aware of Chuck Norris, and did several features on him in their B&W Deadly Hands of King Fu. Aside from their both being blond Americans, though, I don't see any similarities. In his early heroic roles, Norris played worldly tough guy where Danny Rand was a naive 19 year old in the big world for the first time.
ReplyDeleteIF has long been one of my favorite Marvel characters, partly for his guileless personality and partly because his power set lets writers use him in big superhero adventures, and street level stories.
Plus he and Misty Knight shared the first interracial kiss in comics, which was pretty cool.
Well, if he wasn't already committed to NCISLA, I would suggest Chris O'Donnell (who did a much better job, as the WB movie Robin, than most people give him credit for) as Nightwing. And, perhaps, Mark Dacascos as Danny "Iron Fist" Rand.
ReplyDeleteP.S.---Count me in as being here for the Big Spectacular! I only wish Action Comics had kept their original numbering system. It would've been great to be among the owners of ACTION COMICS # 1000. Ah, well!
Have a Happy New Year, dude. :-)
Just a thought...
ReplyDeleteIron Fist fought Batroc the Leaper early in his career. It would be amazing to see Georges St.Pierre do a guest appearance in the IF series.
Happy New Year to you as well, Anonymous! I'm hoping to make #1000 a cool one!
ReplyDeleteI believe Nightwing is drawn by Ian Churchill
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