News that Marvel and Disney would be developing a Moon Knight series for Disney+ was announced way back in 2019 at that year’s D23. Though production of the show was put on hold because of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, it did not stop completely. In fact, in January 2021 alone, three of the show’s principal cast members were announced. Oscar Isaac, most famous for his role as Poe Dameron in the Star Wars sequel trilogy and also as Apocalypse in X-Men: Apocalypse, would be taking up the mantle as Moon Knight. Appearing beside Isaac are May Calamawy (Ramy) in an as-yet-unannounced role, and 90s heart-throb Ethan Hawke. Hawke’s role has also not yet been revealed, but it’s speculated that he would be playing the show’s antagonist.
Though Hawke has been attached to the project for over a month now, he recently revealed just why he decided to sign on for the show. On an episode of The Watch, a podcast presented by The Ringer, Hawke discussed his reasons for joining the Disney+ series. He referred to Moon Knight’s director, Mohammed Diab as “a brilliant guy” but elaborated on the reason why he really wanted to be a part of the project was because of Oscar Isaac. In Hawke’s words:
I find him to be a very exciting player in my field. I like what he’s doing with his life. He reminds me of the actors, when I first arrived at New York, that I looked up to. Oscar’s younger than me, and I like the way he carries himself, and I like the way he thinks. And in general, good things happen when you’re in the room with people that you like the way they think, right?
Hawke came under fire back in 2018 when, during an interview with The Film Stage, he said a few things that angered the comic book community. While talking about the praise for Logan, the final film in the Wolverine trilogy directed by James Mangold, Hawke differentiated it from great movies by calling it “a great superhero movie.”
…they tell us Logan is a great movie. Well, it’s a great superhero movie. It still involves people in tights with metal coming out of their hands. It’s not Bresson. It’s not Bergman. But they talk about it like it is. I went to see Logan cause everyone was like, “This is a great movie” and I was like, “Really? No, this is a fine superhero movie.”
Hawke later went on to clarify in an interview with Collider that his statement was more about “money in America and what our obsession with the accumulation of wealth is.” In that interview, he calls himself a “comic book geek” and that the idea that he be the one to criticize them is “a joke.” He then states that often what he says during interviews gets imbued with unintended meaning through either miscommunication or the wildfire that is social media.
So, will Hawke’s involvement with Moon Knight have a negative effect on some fans? It’s possible, but I certainly hope not. Hawke is an amazing actor as his wide-ranging filmography can attest to. He’s sure to bring nuance to whichever character he’s playing and is bound to have great on-screen chemistry with Oscar Isaac. I, for one, cannot wait for this show to drop on Disney+ because not only is Moon Knight one of my favorite Marvel characters, but there’s already a powerhouse of talent behind it.
There is currently no release date for Moon Knight but it is expected to air sometime in 2022.
