In October 2006 Marvel Entertainment announced that a Moon Knight TV series had gone into production with No Equal Entertainment (the guys behind “So Weird” and “The Collector”). There has been no word since on the the series from Marvel Comics, but I have been seeing a spike of hope from the fan community, possibly due to the character’s current comic book series.
This begs the question, what would a Moon Knight television show look like? Judging from the current series by Mark Benson and early comics by Doug Moench and Bill Sienkewicz, it’s very doable. Essentially a vigilante meting out justice on the grimy streets of New York, the program is kind of a no-brainer.
Despite constant statements that Moon Knight is ‘Marvel’s Batman,’ Moon Knight is a much grittier character. In fact going between recent Batman and Moon Knight issues you would never dream of comparing the two due to the tone and brutality of Moon Knight in comparison to the legacy and formula of Batman.
Moon Knight is a former soldier of fortune brought back from the dead to serve the God of Vengeance Konshu. His personality split four ways to reflect the four stages of the moon, Moon Knight is armed with a few simple tools and his right-hand man Frenchie who pilots a high-tech chopper. You may think Batman/Bruce Wayne and Frenchie=Alfred but the comparison’s don’t really hold up. Moon Knight seems almost completely unaware of the independence of his four personae and while Frenchie (another former mercenary) was at one time loyal to Moon Knight’s cause, he is now almost entirely opposed to his old friend and desperate to start a new life. Moon Knight, like Batman, has a cast of supporting characters… but they are all very freaked out by him. Almost every Marvel character is equally disturbed by Moon Knight, from Spider-Man to Iron Man (who attempted to arrest him recently but failed).
Batman has the angle of tough guy who you do not mess with in the DC Universe, by Moon Knight is a very skilled and very dangerous dude whom you do not get in the way of. There’s a subtle difference, but it is there.
If anything really sets Moon Knight against the Batman comparison, it is the world that the comic book takes place in. While Moon Knight primarily battles drug traffickers, gangs of hoodlums and the occasional madman, each of these battles takes place on a level far more violent than the most ‘adult’ Batman story. Sure, Batman can play to a more adult audience eager to see gore and violence instead of a duel atop a giant typewriter in a one off or feature film, but the monthly series is still full of costumed characters strutting through the revolving door of Arkham Asylum. Whenever Batman fights drugs or gang violence, it’s almost always a boring exercise in ‘infotainment’ whereas Moon Knight makes his meals out of that kind of pulp drama. Not satisfied with beating up crooks, he carves crescent moons into the foreheads of perpetrators of sins such as spousal abuse or grafting. Batman may be policing his streets to see that no one dies at the hands of a petty criminal as his parents did, but Moon Knight is enforcing the will of a God… that is really scary.
Batman may design a new suit to take you down, but when you are dealing with Moon Knight, it is no game. The man is working for a vengeful God who demands servitude.
Bearing all that in mind, a cable or late night TV series would work fine. The comic book angle combined with a gritty action drama (a la Blade) would easily come together for a television program easily digested by the masses. They may even (shock) read the comic book and not be disappointed which cannot be said for fans of the Batman or X-Men movies.
What do you think a Moon Knight TV show would look like? Who would play the role? Should it be cables (HBO) or maybe a FOX series?
Recommended:
Moon Knight Volume 1: The Bottom TPB
Moon Knight, Vol. 2: Midnight Sun
Moon Knight Volume 3: God & Country TPB
Essential Moon Knight, Vol. 1
Essential Moon Knight, Vol. 2
