In today’s episode of Bingeworthy, our revitalized TV and streaming podcast, co-hosts Mike DeAngelo and Rodrigo Perez dig into Disney+’s latest Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Moon Knight.” Based on the Marvel Comic of the same name, the show follows a mild-mannered museum gift shop employee, Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac). He finds himself lost in the difference between reality and waking life nightmares, waking up in insanely dangerous situations, and eventually finding himself entangled in a mysterious plot involving powerful Egyptian Gods and charismatic cult leaders (read our review here).
At the top of the episode, our hosts discuss their differing opinions on the first four “Moon Knight” episodes (as spoiler-free as possible), what makes a good hero and a good villain, and finally dissect Marvel’s plot-heavy formula.
After the conversation, directors Mohamed Diab, Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead stop by to discuss the difficulty of pulling together multiple genres to create a signature “Moon Knight” feel.
“One of the biggest challenges of this show was blending all of those genres together and feeling like one unit,’ Diab shared about the core of the story. “You have action; you have comedy, you have the thriller element, you’re talking about something very serious like DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder), you have drama that is going to have you tearing up. So, blending that all together was the scariest thing for me, but the one thing I kept telling myself was ‘find the core of the story, and everything is going to be OK.’ And the moment I realized that I can identify with the characters because, at its core, Marc and Steven need to learn how to live with themselves. Who doesn’t? I have the persona – the mask that I have, which is what I’m showing you. And I have my desires and the real me and all the bad ideas or thoughts. And those two sides need to live together.”
The topic of a potential season two comes up, and while Diab was hesitant to confirm anything, he did share what he hopes for the future of “Moon Knight.”
“I actually think it’s in the hands of the fans, so if they like him so much, they’re going to write a future for him. If you ask me, I think he’s here to stay, and I would love to have the chance to come back to expand on that world. I loved it, and I want to do it again.” he said.
When asked if he’d take on another Marvel character like his co-directors, Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, are with “Loki” season 2. Yet, again, Diab was quick not to leave “Moon Knight” behind and also had a bold statement about the emotions the show might conjure.
“I used to have lots of ideas about who I want to do and, I swear this is not made up or something that I’m saying for the publicity, but I thought about it the day before yesterday, and I told myself, ‘I already got my favorite character.’ Moon Knight is great! Tell me which director is their sane mind would want something more. It’s everything you want. I just directed five genres in one show, and it made sense; it’s a trippy show, and it’s about something, and it’s going to make people cry. I’m really, really proud of it.” Diab said.
The first episode of “Moon Knight” debuts on Disney+ today. You can listen to the entire podcast below:
Bingeworthy is part of The Playlist Podcast Network, which includes The Playlist Podcast, Be Reel, Deep Focus, The Fourth Wall, The Discourse & more. We can be heard on iTunes, AnchorFM, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, and most places where podcasts are found. You can stream the podcast via the Spotify embed within the article or click on the lead image at the top page. Follow us on iTunes, and you’ll get this podcast as well as our other shows regularly. Be sure to subscribe and drop us a comment or a rating, as we greatly appreciate it. Thank you for listening.
