‘Moon Knight’ and ‘Star Wars’: Learn about Oscar Isaac in the MCU

Oscar Isaac is one in-demand actor, usually for film. From his role as Poe Dameron in the most recent Star Wars trilogy to his upcoming roles in Dune, Big Gold Brick, and The Card Counter, Isaac is absolutely busy. As we said, most of his acting work is for film and theatre. And, for some actors, television can be a bit of grind. It’s a lot across multiple episodes and possibly seasons.

It’s a big commitment. The biggest role that Isaac has done in terms of television is HBO’s miniseries, Show Me A Hero, where he was nominated for a Critic’s Choice Award. But that’s pretty much it. Now, however, it looks like he is eyeing a television appearance in the upcoming Marvel Disney+ series, Moon Knight. But, hey, at least he’s not playing Apocalypse again. 

What is Moon Knight about? Who’s attached to it? Here’s what you need to know.

Is Oscar Isaac really doing it?

Right now, it looks like it. This is less of a “rumored” role and more of a “currently in talks” role. See, here’s the thing about casting news in Hollywood. Sometimes, people will be reported as 100% all in the role, when in actuality they’re in talks for it. They’re negotiating whether or not the terms of the contract are good for them. Hopefully, it works out, but not always. 

Right now, things are sounding good. Though, according to The Hollywood Reporter, a deal has not been closed at this time. It’s a tentative sort of thing at the moment. So, tentatively, we’re saying Isaac is Moon Knight. But that’s always subject to change until someone outright says 100% that he’s the character. 

People have raised concerns about Isaac’s casting in the role. Mainly that he’s not Jewish. Spector, in comics, is Jewish and it’s central to his character’s identity. People feel like the role should have gone to a Jewish actor. Isaac is also a pretty famous choice for a Marvel role. Most actors they pick are recognizable but not as instantly so as Isaac. Like no one expected RDJ for Iron Man way back in 2008, you know? 

Who is Moon Knight?

That’s a complicated question because, honestly, the character himself is a pretty complicated sort of guy. Moon Knight is Marc Spector. In the original inception of the character he was an ex-mercenary who had multiple alter egos in order to fight crime better. Later inceptions of the character had him as a conduit to the Ancient Egyptian moon god Khnoshu. 

In more recent depictions, he dresses all in white as a consultant by the name of Mister Knight. On top of all that, the alter egos that he had became outright multiple personalities and has a fractured mental state. One run of the comic had him in a psychiatric ward if memory serves. The character is definitely a hot mess, so it will be interesting to see how he’s handled in his own series.

Out of all the characters out there for Marvel and Disney+ to give a series to, no one was really expecting Moon Knight. But, hey, no one was expecting a Guardians of the Galaxy movie either, so here we are. 

Who else is involved? 

We have two behind-the-scenes people confirmed for Moon Knight. Up first is the series showrunner/head writer, Jeremy Slater. Slater is best known for his work on Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy. Honestly, that’s probably the best sort of show vibe to have for a character as fractured as Moon Knight. If Slater can bring some of that Umbrella Academy energy to the series, that’d be a good thing.

On Tuesday, Oct. 27, Moon Knight officially recruited Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Diab as director for the series as well. Previously, he was known for his films like Clash (2013) and Cairo 678 (2010). There’s currently no release date or production start date for Moon Knight.