Marvel’s ‘The Defenders’ has a familiar cast; Sigourney Weaver opens up about her role

Netflix's superhero crossover Marvel’s “The Defenders” is currently in production, which began mid-January. And not too long ago, the network released some first-look pictures of the series featuring Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist together in a setup never witnessed before. The show is expected to hit TV screens later this year.

Besides the usual cast that comprises of Charlie Cox (Daredevil), Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones), Mike Colter (Luke Cage) and Finn Jones (Iron Fist), actress Sigourney Weaver has been roped in to play a mysterious villain in the upcoming season. All that’s known for now is the name of Weaver’s character, Alexandria. Producer Marco Ramirez has described her as sophisticated, intellectual and dangerous. Further details about her character remains withheld as of yet.

“We knew it would take something massive to pull these four characters from their individual worlds to work together, but also small enough that it felt like it existed in our world,” Ramirez told Entertainment Weekly. Weaver’s character, per the report, will affect “The Defenders” team. The publication also released an exclusive first-look photo of the actress’ character in “The Defenders.” The photo is allegedly the first official set photo from the series. [See the picture below.]

Sigourney Weaver in an interview with Movies.com last month gave fans an idea of what to expect. “It has a wonderful cast, and we're doing it right here in New York, which means a lot to me,” the actress said. “Basically the four heroes come up against this really nice woman, who I'm playing. It's been a blast and I really love my character,” Weaver added.

It has been alleged that characters from the standalone shows will return in “The Defenders.” Stick (Scott Glenn), Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) and Elektra (Elodie Yung) are some of the main cast fans can expect to see. Also expected to return are sidekicks Misty Knight (Simone Missick), Jeri Hogarth (Carrie-Anne Moss), Malcolm Ducasse (Eka Darville), Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson) and the likes. The Punisher (Jon Bernthal) is also expected to make an appearance. The same has not been confirmed, however.

The series will consist of eight episodes for the upcoming season. Per a Marvel announcement, the first two episodes of “The Defenders” will be directed by “Jessica Jones” and “Orange Is the New Black” director SJ Clarkson.

“SJ's take on the material is outstanding,” Marvel’s head for television and executive producer Joseph Loeb said in a statement. “We loved her work on 'Marvel’s' Jessica Jones and couldn’t think of a more talented and accomplished person to helm the first two episodes of Marvel’s 'The Defenders.'”

Marvel’s “The Defenders” arrives late 2017. It’s not yet clear as to when the show reaches Australia. Rest assured, the series will be available for viewing exclusively on Netflix.