Now that Marvel’s Daredevil series is rolling along, the next two projects in the four-series universe that the studio will roll out on Netflix are beginning to take shape, with the stars of the upcoming Jessica Jones (and subsequent Luke Cage) series reportedly locked in.
Deadline reports that Breaking Bad and Don’t Trust The B actress Krysten Ritter is the top choice for the title role in Jessica Jones, the upcoming 13-episode series that follows a retired superhero who opens her own detective agency. The outlet reports that the final two contenders vying for the role of Jessica Jones after a lengthy audition process were Ritter and Warm Bodies actress Teresa Palmer, and the pair recently read for the part alongside Halo: Nightfall and The Following actor Mike Colter, who’s expected to be the lead in Luke Cage.
In Marvel Comics continuity, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage (a former convict who gains super-strength and invulnerability after being subjected to a secret experiment while in prison) are closely linked, and the latter character is expected to have a significant role in the Jessica Jones series.
The series featuring Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage, will be followed by an Iron Fist series that follows Marvel’s martial-arts superhero, who partnered with Luke Cage in the fan-favorite Heroes For Hire comic-book series. Those four series will then be followed by a crossover miniseries on Netflix that brings all of the four protagonists together in The Defenders.