‘Doctor Who’ star Tennant to play Marvel villain in Netflix series
LOS ANGELES — “Doctor Who” star David Tennant has been cast as Marvel villain Kilgrave on Netflix’s “AKA Jessica Jones,” Marvel announced Monday.
After a tragic ending to her short-lived superhero stint, Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) is rebuilding her personal life and career as a detective who gets pulled into cases involving people with extraordinary abilities in New York City.
An enigmatic figure from Jessica’s past, Kilgrave reappears, sending shockwaves through the former superhero’s world. Mike Colter will also star as Luke Cage. The series was developed by executive producer/showrunner Melissa Rosenberg.
“I’m so honored and excited by the prospect of David inhabiting this multifaceted character,” said Rosenberg. “He can deliver the most heart-wrenching moment to the driest of lines, and all points in between. He’ll make Kilgrave a truly original villain.”
“Anyone familiar with David’s work knows he brings an incredible level of dedication to any role he inhabits, a level we knew we would need from the man playing Kilgrave,” said Jeph Loeb, executive producer and Marvel’s head of television. “While most know him for his roles as a hero, we can’t wait to unleash a whole new side of this talented actor.”
A character called “Killgrave” appears in Marvel comics canon: Zebediah Killgrave is known as the Purple Man, an international spy-turned-criminal who was originally introduced to menace Daredevil before becoming an antagonist for Jessica Jones.
There’s no word on whether Tennant will make an appearance in Netflix’s “Daredevil” series (scheduled to bow on April 10) before transitioning to “Jessica Jones” later in the year, but the two shows (along with Netflix’s subsequent Luke Cage and Iron Fist follow-ups) will be based in Hell’s Kitchen, presumably allowing for plenty of crossover between the heroes before their “Defenders” miniseries team-up.
The 13-episode series will premiere on Netflix in 2015.