Cast This: Moon Knight

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

With the Marvel Cinematic Universe showing no signs of slowing down, it's quite likely that we still have many years, if not decades, of MCU movies to look forward to, and thankfully, the Marvel Universe has no shortage of interesting characters who are ripe for the big-screen. One such character is Moon Knight, aka Marc Spector, a skilled fighter and detective whose strength, endurance, and reflexes are enhanced depending upon the phases of the moon, although that particular bit hasn't always been carried over to the modern Moon Knight stories. While speaking with ScreenRant recently, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed that Moon Knight is someone they're considering, but his appearance in the MCU could still be quite a ways off.

Yes. Does that mean five years from now, 10 years from now, 15 years from now? There are stacks of character cards that we have in our, in our development offices, which we look at. Which we pull for him, which we discussed.

Marc Spector was a former Marine and CIA agent before becoming a soldier-for-hire, and he amassed quite the fortune for himself over the years. However, when a job in Cairo brought him to a secret archaeological dig, Spector was left for dead by a former colleague who massacred the workers. After dragging himself through the sands towards the tomb of Konshu, the Egyptian moon god, Spector was placed beneath a statue of the god before his heart beat its last. Konshu then appeared before him in a vision and offered Spector a second chance at life if he would become the god's avatar on Earth and defend the innocent. One of the most intriguing aspects of Moon Knight are his multiple personalities. Beginning as simple alter egos, such as millionaire Steven Grant and cabbie Jake Lockley, these personalities soon became more difficult to handle, and over the years, Spector would take on more personalities which would occasionally assume control. Writers have even toyed with the idea that Marc Spector is simply crazy. Sure, let's give this guy a bunch of high-tech gadgets.

Moon Knight is basically like a hardcore, schizophrenic Batman, except he doesn't feel the need to hide in the shadows and chooses to wear white rather than black. "I wear it so they'll see me coming. So they'll know who it is. 'Cause when they see the white, it doesn't matter how good a target I am. Their hands shake so bad, they couldn't hit the moon." Although his official entry into the MCU is likely a ways off, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY writer/director James Gunn has previously expressed his love for the character. In fact, he's said that he's already pitched a "great idea" for a Moon Knight movie to Marvel but that he just doesn't have the time to pursue it at the moment. One day maybe.

Now, who should step into the multiple shoes of Moon Knight? I'll toss out a few suggestions to get you started. I've been a big fan of Anson Mount (Star Trek: Discovery) ever since Hell on Wheels, in which he played the lead role of Cullen Bohannon, and Moon Knight could provide him with a fantastic opportunity to stretch his acting muscles with a dynamic character. Tom Hardy (VENOM) would be another great choice for the role. Not only has the actor proven his abilities when it comes to kicking some ass, but I could see him having quite a lot of fun with Spector's multiple personalities. Best known for portraying Nicholas Brody on Homeland, Damian Lewis has always seemed on the cusp of becoming a much bigger deal. The actor has frequently been the subject of rumours over the years that he will replace Daniel Craig as the next James Bond, but I'd rather see Lewis tackle something new, and I'd be willing to bet that he has what it takes to bring Moon Knight to life.

Remember, you're free to suggest anyone in the comments, so let your inner casting director run wild!

Previously on Cast This, you were asked to fill the role of Paul Atreides for Denis Villeneuve's upcoming DUNE remake. Casting a character who would grow into a a super-powered messiah who reluctantly unleashes a jihad which kills sixty billion people across the known universe is no mean feat, but you came through with a lot of fun suggestions for the role, including Nick Robinson (JURASSIC WORLD), Dev Patel (LION), and Timothee Chalamet (CALL ME BY YOUR NAME).