Moon Knight: new Marvel TV series explained, trailer, release date - and who is in the cast with Oscar Isaac?

Disney+ is set to release a new Marvel series based on a new character which has not yet enjoyed its big screen debut - Moon Knight.

The six part series is scheduled to drop at the end of March 2022, with leading man Oscar Isaac describing the show as something “that’s quite different” from other superhero offerings.

This is everything you need to know about the MCU show, including what it’s about, who is in the cast and how to watch it.

What is Moon Knight about?

Moon Knight follows the character of Steven Grant, who, according to Marvel, is “a mild-mannered gift-shop employee who becomes plagued with blackouts and memories of another life”.

Steven discovers that he has dissociative identity disorder (DID) and that he shares a body with Marc Spector, a mercenary.

Marvel says: “As Steven/Marc’s enemies converge upon them, they must navigate their complex identities while thrust into a deadly mystery among the powerful gods of Egypt.”

According to an interview with Hollywood Reporter, Kevin Feige, Marvel’s Chief Creative Officer and architect of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, confirmed that Moon Knight would be appearing on the big screen following its Disney+ debut.

Who is in the cast?

Oscar Isaac takes the lead in Moon Knight as Steven Grant/Marc Spector. You’ll likely recognise Isaac from recently released sci-fi blockbuster Dune, as Poe Dameron in the newer Star Wars films and series Star Wars: Resistance, and award winning film Ex Machina.

Speaking to Games Radar about taking on the role in Moon Knight, Isaac said: “We’re making something that’s quite different, and that doesn’t follow the same… not necessarily even logic of what a lot of superhero films do.

“I think because of that, I just found an opportunity to do something that I’ve not done at all yet, and to have a lot of creative collaboration with the rest of the people making it.”

Ethan Hawke (The Good Lord Bird, Training Day) stars as the villain of Moon Knight, cult leader Arthur Harrow.

In an interview with Seth Meyers during an episode of Late Night, Hawke revealed that he based his performance as Harrow on the notorious cult leader David Koresh, who led the religious sect Branch Davidians and played a central role in the Waco siege of 1993.

He also added that his casting for the series came about through his co-star Isaac.

Hawke said: “I heard about it from Oscar Issac, who lives three blocks down the street from me in Brooklyn. I was at a coffee shop and he came up to me and was like, “I really liked The Good Lord Bird, want to be in the Moon Knight with me?” and I was like, “yeah”.

“So it happened the right way.”

Also in the cast is Gaspard Ulliel (Twice Upon a Time, Hannibal Rising) and May Calamawy (Ramy, The Long Road Home).

Jeremy Slater is the head writer for the series, having previously written for projects like the Netflix show The Umbrella Academy, the 2016 series The Exorcist and live action adaptation of Death Note.

Is there a trailer?

Marvel released a trailer for the upcoming series on Tuesday 18 January, set to the soundtrack of Day n Night by Kid Cudi.

In the trailer, we see Steven playing with a Rubik's cube and appearing to restrain himself to his bed with locks and chains. In the voice over, we hear him say that he has a “sleeping disorder” and that he “can’t tell the difference between my waking life and dreams”.

As the trailer progresses, we see that Steven is being stalked by visions of a mysterious figure in white before meeting Arthur Harrow, a cult leader who encourages the fearful Steven to “embrace the chaos” inside of him.

The two minute trailer ends with Steven being engulfed in the white outfit of Moon Knight, and brutally beating up someone (or something) on the floor of a bathroom.

What has the reaction to the trailer been like?

While most would assume that Marvel fans would be excited for the new offering from the MCU, many have taken to Twitter to discuss one specific talking point raised by the trailer - Isaac’s somewhat questionable British accent.

One user wrote: “Oscar Isaac’s accent in the #MoonKnight trailer is literally like ‘ello guvna wot are ya dewin?!’”

Another tweeted: “What’s more off-putting from that MOON Knight trailer: Oscar Isaac with that accent or Ethan Hawke with that wig?”

“Curious to see what accent they have Oscar Isaac do when they have him come in to re-dub it,” wrote another.

Many compared Isaac’s accent to that of Dick van Dyke, an American actor who famously sported what is often cited as the worst accent in film history with his cockney accent in Mary Poppins.

When is it out?

Moon Knight will be released on Disney+ on 30 March.

For those of us who do not have a Disney+ account, you can sign up for a subscription for £7.99 per month or for £79.90 for a whole year.

According to the streaming platform, those who opt for the yearly subscription stand to save over 15% compared to the monthly subscription account.

You can watch Disney+ on compatible devices, including on TV via Amazon Fire TV, AppleTV, Chromcast and Sky Q, on your computer on Chrome OS, MacOS and Windows PC, on mobile and tablet devices and game consoles, including PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.

Disney+ hosts over 500 films, 15,000 episodes and 80 Disney+ originals, including titles like The Mandalorian, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and, of course, Moon Knight.

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