‘Moon Knight’: Disney+ Series Lands Mohamed Diab as Director

Oscar Isaac is in talks to play the title role

what is moon knight disney plus show Mohamed Diab
Marvel Comics

Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Diab is set to direct the upcoming Marvel Disney Plus Show “Moon Knight,” according to an individual with knowledge of the project.

As TheWrap reported on Monday, Oscar Isaac is in talks to play the title role of Marc Spector.

Moon Knight is a fascinating character, because while on the surface he comes off like Marvel’s attempt to rip off Batman, his powers are actually magical, weird mystical abilities tied either to an ancient Egyptian god and the moon — or to his fractured psyche. More on that in a moment.

Created by writer Doug Moench and artist Don Perlin in 1975, Moon Knight debuted in Marvel’s “Werewolf by Night,” where he’s introduced hunting the title character before teaming up with him instead (the two have generally been allies ever since). Moon Knight’s story goes like this: his real name is Marc Spector, and he’s the Jewish son of a rabbi who fled to the United States from Czechoslovakia during World War II. Spector grew up in Chicago and joined the Marines, then became a CIA operative, and then a mercenary after that.

While in Egypt on one of his mercenary gigs, Marc ran afoul of his employer and was nearly killed — he only survived when his companions dropped his body in a tomb in front of an idol of Khonshu, the Egyptian moon god. While unconscious, Spector’s spirit met Khonshu, and Khonshu healed his injuries and granted him the power of the moon — basically making him able to survive mortal wounds and giving him super strength at night.

But that’s not all. Moon Knight suffers from dissociative identity disorder, or multiple personalities, and he’s got a pile of alter egos, including at one point Captain America (!) and Wolverine (!!!!!!). Because of this issue with his mental health, there’s long been some question about whether Khonshu is actually real, and that question has often been part of the hook for his character arc.

“Moon Knight” will be led by Jeremy Slater, who co-created Netflix’s “The Umbrella Academy.” The series were first announced by Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige during D23 in August last year, along with “Ms. Marvel.”

Mohamed Diab first broke out with his film “Clash” which was an official selection for the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, in the Un Certain Regard category. Diab’s directorial debut “Cairo 678” was released a month before the Egyptian revolution. “Amira,” his next project, is eyeing a 2021 release.

Diab is repped by CAA and Greenberg Glusker.

Deadline first reported the news.

Marvel had no comment.

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