Executive Producer Grant Curtis Gushes About Oscar Isaac's Work On Moon Knight - Exclusive
Film producer Grant Curtis has been around superheroes before with his work on Marvel films that predate the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so he's developed a keen sense of what it takes to embody a comic book movie legend. After all, Curtis served as either a co-producer or producer on all three of Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" films from 2002 to 2007, a trilogy that showed the endless possibilities for the superhero genre and perhaps in some ways inspired the MCU.
Ironically, 15 years after producing the last of Raimi's "Spider-Man" movies, Curtis is now part of the MCU himself as an executive producer on "Moon Knight" — the new Marvel Studios series that brings the famed character to a live-action setting nearly 50 years after his debut in Marvel Comics' "Werewolf by Night" #32 and #33 in 1975. With decades of history to inform the superhero, Curtis, Marvel President Kevin Feige, and executive producer-director Mohamed Diab were tasked with finding the quintessential actor to give a multilayered performance that sets Moon Knight apart from his MCU counterparts. Luckily for the filmmakers, esteemed actor Oscar Isaac said yes to the miniseries, and a new brand of superhero was born.
New on Disney+, "Moon Knight" stars Isaac as Steven Grant, a good-natured gift shop employee in a London museum with a keen sense of Egyptian history. Little does Steven know, though, that he has dissociative identity disorder and also leads an existence as former mercenary Marc Spector. Steven-slash-Marc is the avatar of Khonshu (voice of F. Murray Abraham), the Egyptian god of the moon and vengeance. As such, they materialize as the superhero Moon Knight, who is being targeted by dangerous cult leader Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke).
In an exclusive interview with Looper, Curtis explained why he and his fellow creatives felt Isaac was the perfect actor to lead "Moon Knight."
Curtis says 'the collective of all' of Isaac's performances led to his casting
Oscar Isaac's star has risen considerably in the past decade, with roles in such critically acclaimed independent films as "Ex Machina" and "Inside Llewyn Davis" to blockbuster spectacles including "X-Men: Apocalypse" and the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy. Grant Curtis revealed that it was the sum total of Isaac's body of work — not one particular role — that sparked the idea to cast him.
"I think it's really the collective of all of his performances, because you realize as you know from the character Moon Knight, and Marc Spector-Steven Grant, you need an actor who can play multiple characters and is absolutely comfortable going from one to the other at the drop of a hat," Curtis told Looper. "That's what Oscar Isaac is as an actor. He's a painter at the highest level. There wasn't one performance in his filmography that we leaned to, it was, 'Look at the embarrassment of riches that this guy's putting on the screen, we need to be part of his world.' [We were] absolutely lucky and blessed that he's signed on and he is Marc Spector, he is Steven Grant."
Better yet, Curtis added, Isaac's energy, influence, and passion for his work extended far beyond what he did in front of the camera.
"When I saw the commitment that this guy brings to the set day in and day out ... and you're playing multiple aspects of that character — it's 24/7 and you're on set every day — when I saw that commitment ... it was intoxicating," Curtis recalled. "It was invigorating to the whole cast and crew, and it was what allowed our shoot to be so successful."
Also featuring the direction of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, "Moon Knight" is streaming exclusively on Disney+, with new episodes every Wednesday through May 4.