Inspired By Jessica Jones, Marvel Has Another Mystery TV Series In The Works

In December last year, Marvel earned a real badge of honor when Jessica Jones was officially voted Hollywood's favorite superhero. We can probably assume she's lost that place of pride now, likely upstaged by Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, but the point stands: Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones took the world by storm. Now, it looks as though the House of Ideas is planning to follow up on that success with another female-led superhero show.

Speaking at the Edinburgh Film Festival, Karim Zreik — Senior Vice-President of Original Programming over at Marvel — revealed that Marvel and ABC are working on a mysterious new series. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he explained that a new female-focused show was in development, and gave little away other than to declare it "Jessica-Jones-esque."

A Promising Sign For Marvel Television

Although comic books have often been seen as a male-dominated market, Marvel Television is actually well-known for its strong female leads. Hayley Atwell's Agent Carter blazed the trail back in 2015, and #JessicaJones streamed on Netflix a year later. Chloe Bennet's Quake has essentially become the lead superhero on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and even before that, she, Ming-Na Wen, and Elizabeth Henstridge formed of trio of strong and diverse women that carried the team. Looking forward to shows that are currently in development, Marvel is working on Runaways, New Warriors, and Cloak and Dagger — and all three promise great female characters.

Meanwhile, we can assume that Zreik is referring to the tone and style of this mystery series when he calls it "Jessica-Jones-esque." If that's the case, it will be the second sign Marvel has learned a lot from the success of their Netflix series. Last year, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4 was moved to a later timeslot, allowing it to take on a darker tone that proved hugely successful. It was a phenomenal success, both critically acclaimed and loved by fans.

An Incredible Number Of Marvel Shows Are In The Works

According to Zreik, Marvel has no less than 14 series currently in the works. We can assume this is only referring to live-action shows that are part of the wider #MCU; the numbers wouldn't add up if it includes animated shows or Fox's Legion and The Gifted.

So far, these are the shows we know about:

• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., with Season 5 due to launch in November
• Cloak and Dagger
• Daredevil (shooting on Season 3 will begin later this year)
• Inhumans, premiering at IMAX cinemas worldwide on September 1st
• Iron Fist (due to begin shooting before the year-end, with Season 2 possibly due out next year)
• Jessica Jones, with Season 2 already in production
• Luke Cage, with Season 2 already in production
• New Warriors, an unusual comedy show starring Squirrel Girl
• Runaways, scheduled to premiere in November
• The Defenders, which we can safely assume will have a second series
• The Punisher, likely to stream in November

A mysterious show headed by John Ridley, which many fans believe is a Ms. Marvel TV series

Meanwhile, Zreik added that Marvel would soon "dip [their] foot in the comedy pool." That said, he was unable to resist a shot at DC's ill-fated Powerless, noting that Marvel they'd "never do an office comedy." It may have been intended just as a quick pun, but that throwaway comment bodes ill for the long-forgotten Damage Control TV series.

Counting both this mystery "Jessica-Jones-esque" series and a comedy, that brings us to the 14 shows. Incredibly, when you look at that list above, you'll realize that all but one of them — a second series of The Defenders — are expected to be released either this year or in 2018. Marvel Television is expanding at a blistering rate.

But what will this new female-led superhero series be? What other #Marvel heroines have the potential to star in a show with the tone and style of Jessica Jones? Karim Zreik's comments are sure to leave fans thrilled; it's surely only a matter of time before the studio announces the next hit TV series.

[Source: The Hollywood Reporter]