A.K.A. Jessica Jones

A.K.A. Jessica Jones
Genre
Based on Jessica Jones 
by Brian Michael Bendis
Michael Gaydos
Developed by Melissa Rosenberg
Starring
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
Production
Executive producer(s)
Running time 60 minutes
Production company(s)
Distributor Netflix
Release
Original channel Netflix
Picture format 4K (Ultra HD)
Original airing 2015
Chronology
Preceded by Marvel's Daredevil
Related shows Marvel Cinematic Universe television series

Marvel's A.K.A. Jessica Jones, or simply A.K.A. Jessica Jones, is an upcoming American web television series developed for Netflix by Melissa Rosenberg, based on the Marvel Comics character Jessica Jones. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise, and is the second in a series of shows that will lead up to a Defenders crossover miniseries. The series is produced by Marvel Television in association with ABC Studios, with Rosenberg serving as showrunner.

Krysten Ritter stars as Jones, a former superhero who opens her own detective agency after an end to her superhero career. David Tennant, Mike Colter, Rachael Taylor, Carrie-Anne Moss, Eka Darville, Erin Moriarty, and Wil Traval also star. A version of the series was originally in development by Rosenberg for ABC in 2010, that was eventually passed on. By late 2013, Rosenberg reworked the series, when it reentered development for Netflix. Ritter was cast as Jones in December 2014, with production on A.K.A. Jessica Jones beginning in New York City in February 2015.

All episodes are set to premiere in 2015.

Premise

Following a tragic end to her brief superhero career, Jessica Jones tries to rebuild her life as a private eye, dealing with cases involving people with remarkable abilities in New York City.[2]

Episodes

S. J. Clarkson will direct an episode.[3]

Cast and characters

A former superhero suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder who opens her own detective agency,[4][5] Alias Investigations.[6] Ritter stated that she read through Alias in preparation for the role and expressed delight in working with Rosenberg.[7]
A man with superhuman strength, unbreakable skin, and a mysterious past that Jones encounters in the course of an investigation and who changes her life immensely.[9][10] Colter described Cage as "a neighbourhood hero, very much linked to New York and Jessica Jones. [He] is a darker, grittier, more tangible character than Iron Man or Thor. He likes to keep things close to his chest, operate on the hush-hush. He has these abilities but he’s not sure how and when to use them."[10]

Production

Development

Melissa Rosenberg began developing a television show based on the comic book series Alias for ABC in 2010.[2] In November 2011, Rosenberg said the show, known as AKA Jessica Jones, would center on Jessica Jones, a former superhero with post-traumatic stress disorder, who becomes a private detective, and was planning to air in the fall 2012 television season. Rosenberg said "I love this character. That is an incredibly damaged, dark, complex female character that kicks ass." She also added that Luke Cage was a part of the series, though the couple's daughter, Danielle, would appear "way down the road."[13] Later in the month, Rosenberg said that the series would acknowledge the existence of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with references to Tony Stark and Stark Industries in the pilot script, but admitted that "As we go along things will alter in terms of what is made available to us, but we're definitely in that universe. We are in no way denying that that universe exists. And as much as I can I'm going to pull everything in from there that I can use". She also noted that Carol Danvers would appear in the series as a principal character.[14] In May 2012, ABC president Paul Lee said the network had passed on the series.[15] Later that year, Rosenberg stated that the show was being shopped around to other networks,[16] saying "I don’t know if it’s an ABC show. It might be a cable show, really. The [Alias] graphic novel is the first one that Marvel did that was meant to serve an adult audience. I toned it down a little bit for network, but it’s very, very easy to translate that into cable. Very easy."[17]

In October 2013, Deadline reported that Marvel was preparing four drama series and a miniseries, totaling 60 episodes, to present to video on demand services and cable providers, with Netflix, Amazon, and WGN America expressing interest.[18] A few weeks later, Marvel and Disney announced that they would provide Netflix with live action series centered around Jessica Jones, Daredevil, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage, leading up to a miniseries based on the Defenders.[1] Rosenberg was brought on to write and produce the new incarnation of the series, to be reconfigured from the original project.[19][20] The series will consist of 13 hour-long episodes.[21] In December 2014, the official title was revealed to be Marvel's A.K.A. Jessica Jones.[22]

In January 2015, Netflix COO Ted Sarandos stated the series was "eligible to go into multiple seasons for sure" and Netflix would look at "how well [they] are addressing both the Marvel fanbase but also the broader fanbase" in terms of determining if additional seasons would be appropriate.[23]

Casting

Krysten Ritter stars as the titular character.

In August 2014, Sarandos said on the status of the show, "Right now, the writers’ rooms are open and they’re looking at casting Jessica."[24] By November 2014, Krysten Ritter, Alexandra Daddario, Teresa Palmer, Jessica De Gouw and Marin Ireland were being tested for the role of Jessica Jones.[4] Additionally, Lance Gross, Mike Colter and Cleo Anthony were in contention for the role of Luke Cage, which was envisioned as a recurring role in the series before headlining his own series.[4] In December 2014, Ritter was cast as Jessica Jones. Ritter and Palmer had been the final candidates for the role, with both auditioning opposite Colter to test chemistry.[5] Later in the month, Colter was confirmed as Luke Cage.[9] The next month, David Tennant was cast as Kilgrave[8] and Rachael Taylor was cast as Patricia "Trish" Walker.[11] In early February 2015, Carrie-Anne Moss was cast as Harper.[12] Later that month, Eka Darville, Erin Moriarty, and Wil Traval were cast as Malcolm, Hope, and a police officer, respectively.[6]

Filming

In February 2014, Marvel announced that A.K.A. Jessica Jones would be filmed in New York City.[21] In April 2014, Marvel Comics' editor-in-chief Joe Quesada stated that the show would be filming in areas of Brooklyn and Long Island City that still look like the old Hell’s Kitchen, in addition to sound stage work.[25] The series went into production in February 2015 in The Bronx at Lehman College with the working title Violet.[26][3][27]

Marvel Cinematic Universe tie-ins

A.K.A. Jessica Jones is the second of the ordered Netflix series, after Marvel's Daredevil, and will be followed by Marvel's Luke Cage, and Marvel's Iron Fist, before leading into the miniseries, Marvel's The Defenders.[26][28] In November 2013, Disney CEO Bob Iger stated that, if the characters prove popular on Netflix, “It’s quite possible that they could become feature films."[29] In August 2014, Vincent D'Onofrio, who played Wilson Fisk in Daredevil, stated that after the "series stuff with Netflix", Marvel has "a bigger plan to branch out".[30] In March 2015, Marvel Television head and executive producer Jeph Loeb spoke on the ability for the series to crossover with the MCU films and the ABC television series, saying, "It all exists in the same universe. As it is now, in the same way that our films started out as self-contained and then by the time we got to The Avengers, it became more practical for Captain America to do a little crossover into Thor 2 and for Bruce Banner to appear at the end of Iron Man 3. We have to earn that. The audience needs to understand who all of these characters are and what the world is before you then start co-mingling in terms of where it's going."[31]

Release

In December 2014, Marvel announced that A.K.A. Jessica Jones would be released in 2015 on the streaming service Netflix, in all territories where it is available.[22] It will be released in Ultra HD 4K.[32] However, in January 2015, Netflix COO Ted Sarandos said it was "too hard to say now" if the series would release in 2015, with Netflix's plan to release a Marvel series approximately a year apart from each other after Daredevil‍ '​s April 2015 release.[33] The 13 episodes will be released simultaneously, as opposed to a serialized format, to encourage binge-watching, a format which has been successful for other Netflix series.[25]

Marketing

Disney Consumer Products created a small line of products that cater to a more adult audience, given the show’s edgier tone. Paul Gitter, senior VP of Marvel Licensing for Disney Consumer Products said, “We’ll be focusing less on products that are targeted at the very young consumer,” and more on teens and adult with products at stores or outlets like Hot Topic. Additionally, the series will be supported by a Marvel Knights merchandise program that will open new opportunities for product lines as well as new collector focused opportunities. Despite not being a feature film property, licensing partners wanted to pair up with Marvel given its previous successes; “When we go to partners, they pretty much rely on history as being reflective of the future,” Gitter said.[34]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lieberman, David (November 7, 2013). "Disney To Provide Netflix With Four Series Based On Marvel Characters". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2014. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Schneider, Micheak (December 17, 2010). "Screenwriter Sets Marvel Adaptation for TV". Variety. Archived from the original on February 6, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Shaw-Williams, H. (February 6, 2015). "Marvel’s ‘A.K.A. Jessica Jones’ Netflix Series Begins Filming; First Set Images". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on February 6, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Andreeva, Nellie (November 19, 2014). "Marvel’s ‘Jessica Jones’: Krysten Ritter, Alexandra Daddario, Teresa Palmer, Marin Ireland, Jessica De Gouw Testing For Lead". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on November 20, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Andreeva, Nellie (December 4, 2014). "Krysten Ritter Nabs Lead In Marvel’s ‘Jessica Jones’". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on December 4, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Strom, Marc (February 19, 2015). "Three More Join Marvel's A.K.A. Jessica Jones for Netflix". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  7. ↑ Erbland, Kate (December 12, 2014). "Krysten Ritter, Marvel's New Jessica Jones, Is Currently "Devouring" the Comics". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on December 16, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "David Tennant Joins Marvel's A.K.A. Jessica Jones for Netflix". Marvel.com. January 26, 2015. Archived from the original on January 26, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Strom, Marc (December 22, 2014). "Mike Colter to Star as Luke Cage in Marvel's A.K.A. Jessica Jones". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Northmore, Henry (March 6, 2015). "Interview: Mike Colter, ‘Luke Cage is a darker, grittier, more tangible hero'". The List. Archived from the original on March 8, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Rachael Taylor the Latest to Join Marvel's A.K.A. Jessica Jones". Marvel.com. January 29, 2015. Archived from the original on January 29, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Maglio, Tony; Sneider, Jeff (February 2, 2015). "Carrie-Anne Moss Joins Marvel-Netflix’s ‘Jessica Jones’". TheWrap. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  13. ↑ Philbrick, Jami (November 9, 2011). "Exclusive: Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg Talks 'AKA Jessica Jones'". IAmRogue. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  14. ↑ Ellwood, Gregory (November 16, 2011). "Melissa Rosenberg says 'Jessica Jones' series absolutely taking place in larger Marvel Universe". Hitfix. Archived from the original on February 6, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  15. ↑ Molloy, Tim (May 15, 2012). "Screenwriter Sets Marvel Adaptation for TV". The Wrap. Archived from the original on February 6, 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  16. ↑ Radish, Christina (November 15, 2012). "Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg Talks The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, ABC’s Red Widow, the Status of AKA Jessica Jones, and More". Collider. Archived from the original on February 6, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  17. ↑ Cornet, Roth (January 11, 2013). "Marvel is Still Working on a Potential Jessica Jones TV Series". IGN. Archived from the original on February 6, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  18. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (October 14, 2013). "Marvel Preps 60-Episode Package Of Four Series & A Mini For VOD & Cable Networks". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  19. ↑ Couch, Aaron (November 12, 2013). "Melissa Rosenberg to Oversee Marvel's Jessica Jones Series for Netflix". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 28, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  20. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (November 12, 2013). "Melissa Rosenberg To Shepherd Marvel’s Jessica Jones Series For Netflix". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Marvel's Netflix Series to Film in New York City". Marvel.com. February 26, 2014. Archived from the original on February 26, 2014. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Strom, Marc (December 5, 2014). "Krysten Ritter to Star in Marvel's A.K.A. Jessica Jones". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  23. ↑ Schwartz, Terri (January 7, 2015). "Netflix announces 'Daredevil,' 'Bloodline,' 'Kimmy Schmidt' premiere dates". Zap2It. Archived from the original on January 10, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  24. ↑ White, James (August 26, 2014). "Netflix Boss Talks Marvel TV Plans". Empire. Archived from the original on August 27, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Blackmon, Joe (April 27, 2014). "Marvel Netflix Series Part Of Marvel Cinematic Universe, Available For Binge Watching According To Joe Quesada". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on April 28, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "Marvel TV head: 'Daredevil' starts shooting in July, 'Jessica Jones' next up". HitFix. March 24, 2014. Archived from the original on March 25, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  27. ↑ Bord, Christine (February 4, 2015). "First filming location for ‘AKA Jessica Jones’ in NYC this week!". On Location Vacations. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  28. ↑ White, Brett (March 31, 2015). "MARVEL NAMES "SOUTHLAND" PRODUCER HODARI COKER AS "LUKE CAGE" SHOWRUNNER". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on April 1, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  29. ↑ Graser, Marc (November 7, 2013). "Why Disney Chose to Put Marvel's New TV Shows on Netflix". Variety. Archived from the original on February 20, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  30. ↑ Romano, Nick. "Exclusive: ‘Daredevil’ Star Vincent D’Onofrio Talks Kingpin, Marvel Fans and ‘Defenders’ Crossover". ScreenCrush. Archived from the original on August 25, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  31. ↑ Tanswell, Adam (March 4, 2015). "Marvel's Head of TV talks Agents of SHIELD, Inhumans and Netflix". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on March 7, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  32. ↑ "Netflix Originals Premiere Dates". Netflix. Archived from the original on April 15, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  33. ↑ Goldman, Eric (January 7, 2015). "Netflix Clarifies Release Plans For Marvel Series After Daredevil". IGN. Archived from the original on January 7, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  34. ↑ Graser, Marc (March 11, 2015). "Marvel’s Merchandise Plan for ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron:’ ‘Make the Big Bigger’". Variety. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2015.

External links