Marvel’sMoon Knightwill be influenced by the works of Steven Spielberg, Alfonso Cuarón’sChildren of Menand horror movies likeThe DescentandThe Exorcist, directorsJustin BensonandAaron Moorheadrevealed recently. The six-episode limited series, which starsOscar Isaacas the titular antihero Marc Spector/Moon Knight, will debut on Disney+ on March 30. Early reviews have confirmed what Kevin Feige and the rest of the cast ofMoon Knighthave been saying about the show: it’s one of Marvel’s most unique series yet.
Developed by Jeremy Slater,Moon Knightis directed by Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Diab, alongside Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. The director duo has also beentapped to directLokiseason 2after impressing Marvel with their work onMoon Knight. In a recent interview withSlashfilm, Benson and Moorhead discussed the films that influenced the style and tone ofMoon Knight, with Benson saying,
“We actually went to a lot of different things about people who are struggling with identity, but even as lofty as something like ‘Persona.’ In terms of the camera work, it was a bit of a combination of the legendary moving master shots that Spielberg does. Of course, as a filmmaker, you reference Spielberg and you think, ‘He’s a master for a reason.’ So we’re watching ‘War of the Worlds’ and seeing how he’s able to develop a wide into an insert into a closeup and all that. It’s not just, ‘Wow, how clever.’ What it does is it lets you establish character without cutting so much. That was something that was really important to us, and really important to Mohamed.”
Kevin Feige previously likenedMoon Knight’stone to theIndiana Jonesfilms, but Benson and Moorhead also tried to incorporate Spielberg’s filmmaking style into the show. TheJawsdirector is known for his use of long takes and tracking shots, andMoon Knight’strailers and TV spots also tease similarly fluid camera movements with minimal cuts. Benson also cited the filmmaking style ofChildren of Menas an inspiration.
Related:Moon Knight: Who is the MCU’s Newest Character?
Moon Knight Will Be Edgier Than Other Marvel Shows
Moon Knight isn’t a typical Marvel superhero, and due to his brutality, he often acts as an antihero. As per Kevin Feige, the upcoming serieswon’t be watered downeither. Aaron Moorhead also mentioned three horror-tinged films that were often talked about during filming.
“Also I’ll give you three more sort of references or titles that came up a lot on set, but unfortunately, we won’t be able to say exactly why, because we’d be ruining it for everyone. But I think it’s interesting to hear. ‘The Descent,’ ‘Free Solo,’ and the opening scene of ‘The Exorcist.’ They were all brought up a lot.”
WhileThe Descentis a brutal and terrifying survival horror film, andThe Exorcistis more of a traditional horror film, featuring priests and demonic possessions,Free Solois a documentary about Alex Honnold’s rope-free climb of the El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite National Park. Although not a horror film,Free Solowill be a nightmarish experience for people with a fear of heights. It remains to be seen how these films have influencedMoon Knight,but we can assume Marc Spector’s distorted sense of reality will somehow factor into it.
