Today’s the day Marvel’s newest series Moon Knight officially premieres on Disney+. Last night, show creator Jeremy Slater did a Twitter question and answer session with fans excited about the show. Here are nine things we learned!
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9: Marvel has a big list of characters they want to develop
Slater had a general meeting with the MCU brass a few years ago, after trying to get their attention for some time. A general meeting is basically the first step in building a relationship between a writer and a development executive or producer – it’s where they start to get to know each other. In that general meeting, Marvel gave him a list of characters they wanted to develop something around. Moon Knight was on that list and Slater was all in.
I've been trying to get into the MCU for almost a decade now! I had a general meeting with them a few years back and they gave me a list of characters they were interested in developing. Once I saw Moon Knight's name on there, I was all in. https://t.co/mGrWgUdghH
— Jeremy Slater (@jerslater) March 29, 2022
8: Moon Knight has been in the works for at least 3 years
After that general meeting, Slater started working with Marvel creative executives Grant Curtis and Nick Pepin in July or August of 2019 to develop a pitch for the show. So while so many of us were watching Spider-Man: Far From Home, Slater was already working to expand the MCU.
I started working on a pitch with Marvel's creative execs Grant Curtis and Nick Pepin in July or August of 2019. https://t.co/9SOIgSx09s
— Jeremy Slater (@jerslater) March 29, 2022
7: What episode is his sentimental favorite
Huge chunks of the pilot came from Slater’s first pitch to Kevin Feige.
The pilot is my sentimental fave, because it changed the least throughout the years, and huge chunks of it were taken directly from my very first pitch to Kevin Feige. But I also can't wait for everyone to see just how weird the last two episodes get! https://t.co/E5kGiedyBO
— Jeremy Slater (@jerslater) March 29, 2022
6: Getting the mythology right
Marvel was very supportive of the show’s writers and provided “a wealth of research material” to help them get the Egyptian mythology aspects of the show correct. According to Slater, they had a “real-life Egyptian archaeologist on speed-dial.”
According to the credits in “The Goldfish Problem, “ Moon Knight’s first episode, the Egyptology Consultant was Ramy Romany. Cultural consultants were SILA Consulting – Rhonda Ragab, Shazia Mian, and Bushra Bangeel.
Not only did Marvel provide us with a wealth of research material, but we actually had a real-life Egyptian archeologist on speed dial for advice, ideas and fact-checking. https://t.co/HqVhLEhDb5
— Jeremy Slater (@jerslater) March 29, 2022
5: Inventing a villain
Moon Knight’s most recognizable comic foe is Bushman, but the show team felt he was too close to Erik Killmonger from Black Panther. Thus Ethan Hawke’s Arthur Harrow was born.
Because his only recognizable villain was Bushman, who just felt too close to Black Panther's Erik Killmonger. So we decided to invent a villain instead. Ethan Hawke in particular was instrumental in creating Harrow. https://t.co/3ahbqHEPWF
— Jeremy Slater (@jerslater) March 29, 2022
4: Geeking out over Khonshu’s voice
Slater was as excited to write the words for Khonshu as we were to hear them when he found out that F. Murray Abraham was his voice actor. Looks like the show’s creator is a fan of Amadeus.
You have NO IDEA how much I geeked out when I found out who was voicing Khonshu. I got to write words for Antonio Salieri! It doesn't get cooler than that. https://t.co/b9GoniSfKO
— Jeremy Slater (@jerslater) March 29, 2022
3: Moon Knight probably isn’t done in the MCU
Moon Knight is currently considered a limited series with only 6 episodes, but Slater is “pretty damn confident” that this isn’t the last time we’ll see him in the MCU. He also said he’d write a Moon Knight movie “in a heartbeat.”
All those decisions are way, waaaay above my pay grade.
But I'm pretty damn confident this won't be the last time you see Moon Knight in the MCU. He's too much fun. https://t.co/krIgXRDkH2
— Jeremy Slater (@jerslater) March 29, 2022
2: Scary, not gory
In the comics, Moon Knight is quite bloody. This version of the character has less gore, but “it’s definitely the scariest thing Marvel has ever made.”
I'd say we land somewhere between those two extremes. There isn't a lot of actual gore, but it's definitely the scariest thing Marvel has ever made.
I think the first episode is a safe litmus test for parents. If your kid can handle that one, they're probably fine. https://t.co/oTrAle5Q9W
— Jeremy Slater (@jerslater) March 29, 2022
1: Our aquatic friend
And last, but perhaps most importantly – Steven Grant’s goldfish is named Gus.
His name is Gus and he's a Very Good Boy. https://t.co/wMAxPHNzJS
— Jeremy Slater (@jerslater) March 29, 2022
What did you think of the premiere episode of Moon Knight? Share your thoughts in the comments or with us on Twitter @MyCosmicCircus.
