Marvel has made a fortune for parent Walt Disney (DIS 0.16%) by adapting minor comic book characters for TV and film. Moon Knight could soon make the transition, says Fool contributor Tim Beyers in the following video.
Author Warren Ellis is reintroducing the character in a new comic book series due in March. Declan Shalvey will provide layouts while Jordie Bellaire colors the book, which will focus on the character's macabre roots.
Horror fans should find plenty to like since Moon Knight has a long history of battling werewolves, vampires, and other sorts of awfulness as the "fist" of the Egyptian moon god Khonshu. By day, he struggles to maintain different personalities. Were it a TV series, we'd call it a brutal psychological crime thriller. Exactly the sort of edgy fare that has proven popular in comics shops where Batman and The Walking Dead are routinely top-15 sellers.
Ellis recently told Comic Book Resources, "Moon Knight investigates the strange and dark corners of the Marvel Universe, and boy, there are weird things there." He's right. But is playing to the zeitgeist enough to make the character more than just another minor comic book property? After all, Ellis hasn't said he wants to write a Moon Knight TV or movie script.
Tim sees two reasons for fans and investors to believe Ellis' reimagined Moon Knight will reach wider media. First, history. Ellis' work on RED with Cully Hamner has since been adapted into two films. He's also responsible for the Extremis story line that helped propel Iron Man 3 to the top of the 2013 charts.
Second, thanks to its deal with Netflix (NFLX -9.09%), we know that Marvel and Disney are interested in exploring different options for distributing shows and movies about its minor characters. Amazon.com, FX, Starz... all of them are potential outlets for a Moon Knight project, Tim argues.
Now it's your turn to weigh in. Will you be picking up the new Moon Knight when Marvel releases it to comics shops in March? Do you see a future for a movie or TV series based on the character? Please watch the video to get Tim's full take and then leave a comment to let us know where you stand.
