New Marvel live-action series to film in NY

NEW YORK (AP) — New York will become home to the 'flawed heroes of Hell's Kitchen,' as four of Marvel's characters will come to life in a live-action series that will be filmed principally in the state and streamed on Netflix...

Adam Howard

Feb 27, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — New York will become home to the “flawed heroes of Hell’s Kitchen,” as four of Marvel’s characters will come to life in a live-action series that will be filmed principally in the state and streamed on Netflix.

The announcement was made Wednesday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, The Walt Disney Co., Marvel and Netflix Inc. The project, scheduled to start filming in the summer, will feature the characters Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist.

It’s the largest film or television production project commitment in New York’s history and is expected to bring up to 400 full-time jobs, Cuomo said.

“The Defenders are classic New York characters; smart, resourceful and tough enough to always stand up for what’s right,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer. “We’re delighted they’re coming to life on their home turf thanks to Gov. Cuomo and his team.”

Marvel and Netflix had announced a deal in November for the programming, which is slated to take the form of four series — each with 13 one-hour episodes — and a miniseries. They’re slated to start streaming next year.

No details were available about how long the productions would last or what the story lines would look like. Daredevil is first up, followed by the others.

In the Marvel world, Daredevil is the superhero identity of Matt Murdock, who is blind but whose other senses are extra-human. Jessica Jones is a former superhero now working as a private detective. Luke Cage was wrongly imprisoned and gained his powers unexpectedly in an experiment. Iron Fist is the superhero identity of Daniel Rand, who has amazing martial arts abilities.

In making the announcement, Cuomo offered up his own very personal idea for a new superhero. “I can see it: boy from Queens goes to Albany to fight the evil empire and bring justice to the people of the state,” he said.

___