Moon Knight director Mohamed Diab has a lot of respect for Marvel Studios for allowing him to work on the series. As he walked the red carpet during the series’ premiere in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, the award-winning Egyptian director revealed how much creative liberty was given to him by the studio, and how the much-awaited series is “different” from the rest of the content in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Diab first pitched the Moon Knight series to Marvel Studios two years ago, and he was confident that it would be something that the studio would be interested in. But, what he cherishes most is that the series can stand on its own, without needing the Marvel tag to achieve success.
Moon Knight's distinctive plot and theme sets it apart from other MCU content, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. When speaking to Variety on the red carpet of the Moon Knight premiere, Diab joked that after they presented the pitch to Marvel, he told his wife that if they “didn’t get the job, there’s something wrong with the world.” Their pitch was so unique, and unlike any other Marvel series that have released thus far, that when people watched the first two episodes at the premiere, many came up to Diab and told him that if they took the Marvel tag away, “it doesn’t feel like a Marvel show, in a good way.”
Marvel Studios gave Diab “the freedom to go crazy,” and push the boundaries with Moon Knight. He revealed that the studio supported his horror ideas and allowed the “drama to be darker.” It is already known that Moon Knight will introduce elements of terror into the MCU, and the recently-released clip of Oscar Isaac's Steven Grant meeting Khonshu, the Egyptian god, is the perfect example of that.
Moon Knight, however, will not be all about horror. This series, in Diab's words, will not fit into one specific genre. “It’s comedy, drama, horror, action, and talks about something as serious as dissociative identity disorder,” he said. Mental health has played an important role in Phase 4 of the MCU so far, and it seems like Moon Knight will not be any different when it comes to placing the right amount of importance on the subject.
Moon Knight premieres on Disney Plus on March 30, 2022.
Source: Variety/Twitter