We may have Tony Stark’s heir apparent in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and it’s not Harley Keener. (Anyone?) Marvel is bringing its wunderkind inventor RiRi Williams, a.k.a. Ironheart, to her own series on Disney+. If Beale Street Could Talk‘s Dominique Thorne will star.
Ironheart was just one of many new Marvel projects announced by Kevin Feige during the Disney Investor Day presentation. Also announced were Armor Wars starring Don Cheadle as James “Rhodey” Rhodes/War Machine and Secret Invasion with Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, and Ben Mendelsohn as Talos. Feige also presented new facts and even a few trailers for previously announced projects including Hawkeye, Loki, She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel, and Moon Knight.
Even though this was the first official announcement of Ironheart, playwright Eve L. Ewing previously discussed writing the show back in 2018! As she told the Chicago Tribune back then:
“Periodically I have to sit back and go, ‘Omigosh, I’m a Marvel writer’ — there’s nothing more implausible and more amazing that’s ever happened to me. When you’re a writer, oftentimes you’re grinding away and there’s a short list where you can tell your mom, grandma, or your brother and they fully understand what it is. But this is something where everybody gets it; everybody understands the pop culture resonance with Marvel – what it means and what it stands for, so it’s really exciting.”
Separately, also in 2018, Jada Rodriguez penned a screenplay for an Ironheart movie which was not commissioned by Disney, but it got tongues wagging, and reportedly, the folks at Disney and Marvel Studios were impressed. Whether or not Rodriguez will have any involvement in the TV show remains to be seen. (via Screen Rant)
During Thursday’s presentation, Feige declared:
“One of the best things about expanding the MCU to Disney+ is that our team at Marvel Studios is finally able to do some of the things that we always wanted to do but didn’t quite have the right outlet for.”
Ironheart will mark the first Marvel project — film or television series — to feature a black female lead. This also joins a couple of other projects about younger female heroes, joining Ms. Marvel starring Iman Vellani, and Hawkeye, which introduces the new avenging archer, Kate Bishop, played by Hailee Steinfeld.
RiRi Williams was introduced in 2016 after she invented her own high tech armor that rivals the technology crafted by Tony Stark. She became his protegée and even replacement for a time. She was created by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato.
She has been included as part of the Marvel Rising initiative which includes cartoons and toys. Sofia Wylie provided her voice.
Dominique Thorne made her film debut in Barry Jenkins’ Academy Award-winning drama If Beale Street Could Talk. She played Sheila, the younger sister of the male lead, Alonzo ‘Fonny’ Hunt played by Stephan James.
She will next be seen in Judas and the Black Messiah, directed by Shaka King. It is the true story of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton, played by Daniel Kaluuya. LaKeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, and Martin Sheen also star.
No word yet on when Ironheart will arrive but check back for updates as they arrive.
Source: Deadline
