Marvel's Moon Knight series is coming to Disney Plus on March 30th. Full plot details are still tightly under wraps but what has been revealed is that the series will focus on mercenary Marc Spector, a man that suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder and becomes the emissary of the Egyptian God of the moon, Khonshu. Also revealed have been some details about Spector's other personalities that will be appearing such as Steven Grant, a perpetually tired gift shop worker, and Mr. Knight, a suit-wearing more refined aspect of Moon Knight.
Moon Knight will consist of 6 roughly hour-long episodes, with 4 being directed by award-winning Egyptian director Mohamed Diab and mind-bending indie film maestros Benson and Moorhead helming the remaining 2. The series promises to be something darker and stranger for the MCU and to get an idea of what audiences are in for, it's time to take a look at the previous cinematic releases of the series' directors.
Mohamed Diab might not be a familiar name to Marvel fans, but his work is known for focusing on pressing Egyptian societal issues while presenting them in an interesting narrative and visual way. His 2016 film Clash is an excellent place for people unfamiliar with his work to start. The film is set around the aftermath of a 2013 demonstration where pro and anti-Muslim Brotherhood protesters clashed as President Mohamed Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, was ousted from his position.
Clash takes place entirely in the back of a police riot van, where protesters from both sides of the conflict have been forced together in the confined space. Based partially on a true event that occurred during the riots, the people inside the van are dehumanized, denied access to bathrooms, and sprayed with water cannons. As the protest rages on outside the van, the inhabitants fight over their differing views and politics. Sometimes there are brief moments of them finding commonalities, only for conflict to rise once more to the forefront.
Described as relentlessly grim, Clash showcases the truth of humanity in a devastating and almost horror movie-style drama. Diab skillfully brings the reality of Egyptian society to life in a claustrophobic, character-rich narrative that is deeply human and engaging. These skills are sure to come into play in Moon Knight, a story that is deeply character-driven and steeped in Egyptian mythology.
When it comes to duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, their filmography is, visually at least, vastly different from Diab's. The team has made a name for themselves by creating features that twist reality while focusing on deep human drama and horror. From their debut the critically acclaimed Resolution in 2014 to this year's Something in the Dirt, the pair have played with the notion of reality and how it can be twisted and shifted to impact characters and situations.
The directing duo became more well known when their feature The Endless was released in 2017. Seen as a sequel of sorts to Resolution, the film follows two brothers who escaped from a UFO cult as kids. Both brothers see the cult differently, Justin believes it was a death cult and Aaron remembers it as a peaceful, hippie-like commune. As dissatisfied and disillusioned adults, the two set out to reconnect with the commune and get the answers they are looking for.
Once they find and return to Camp Arcadia the brothers begin to experience strange things, are quite deliberately left clues to what is happening, and argue amongst themselves as reality seems to bend around them. An unseen entity is driving events at Camp Arcadia and those that live there are merely slaves to its games. The slow buildup to the truly bizarre draws viewers in, Lovecraftian in its horror as 2, then 3 moons rise above the camp and time bends for its inhabitants.
2019s' Synchronic is another example of Benson and Moorhead's skill with reality-bending narratives. Following paramedics Steve and Dennis as they experience multiple cases involving the effects of the drug known as Synchronic. As the film unfolds, the 2 men explore their relationships and mortality through the lens of solving a mystery and time travel linked to the drug. Despite its surrealism and time travel, the core of the movie is the relationship between Dennis and Steve, how they interact, fall apart, and come together.
Benson and Moorhead continually and successfully blend intense character work with surrealism and strange imagery. Combining their work with the more realism-based but still innovative dramatic work of Mohamed Diab is sure to create something special with the world of Moon Knight. The character of Marc Spector contains multitudes, by the very definition of his battle with D.I.D he is constantly caught off guard. The ground is not even for Spector or Grant or any of his personalities. For Marc Spector reality is constantly shifting, he is losing time, finding himself in strange places and of course, he is also the Fist of Khonshu.