Marvel has certainly dominated the comic book film space, but their presence on TV hasn’t been as consistent. Early returns on Netflix series like Daredevil and Jessica Jones were quite strong, yet some of their shows like Iron Fist and even the much-hyped The Defenders struggled by comparison. With Marvel moving away from Netflix and towards their new streaming platforms, the comic brand is looking to extend its effectiveness on the small screen. What a way to start by announcing 2 new series, including Ghost Rider.
Along with the several projects Marvel has in development with Disney+, they announced today that they will also be working on Ghost Rider and Helstorm series for Hulu. These live-action series are set to premiere sometime in 2020 according to Variety.
While Helstorm has never gotten a spotlight on the big or small screen, Ghost Rider has been a character that Marvel has tried and failed at adapting, most notably on the big screen with Ghost Rider and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. A report also states that Gabriel Luna, who played a version of the character on Agents of Shield, could reprise the role for the series. But it won’t have anything to do with that version:
Variety has learned exclusively that Luna will star in the recently announced Hulu live-action series based on the comic book character. This will mark the second time that Luna has played Ghost Rider, previously appearing as the character in the ABC-Marvel series “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” However, sources stress that this will be a completely new iteration of the character in no way connected to the “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” storyline.
This was made all the more intriguing when Luna tweeted something cryptic last night.
Chains a’ rattlin’…
— Gabriel Luna (@IamGabrielLuna) May 1, 2019
I personally haven’t watched Agents of Shield, but re-incorporating the actor into this series is a solid idea with a foundation already built. My hopes for a Ghost Rider series is that the show can find a consistent tone, one that doesn’t underplay the darkness and edge of the material.