Doctor Who Star David Tennant Joins Cast of A.K.A. Jessica Jones as Kilgrave
Marvel Entertainment has made a casting announcement that is sure to send geek culture into a stratosphere-launching tizzy. Doctor Who star David Tennant has been cast in the role of Kilgrave for the Marvel Netflix TV series, A.K.A. Jessica Jones. Kilgrave is better known to Marvel Comic fans as Zebediah Killgrave aka Purple Man.
According to Marvel, Kilgrave is a starring role for the 13-episode series. Based on the description in the announcement, it sounds as if Kilgrave will be the chief antagonist for Jessica Jones in the series, who will be played by Krysten Ritter. Kilgrave is described as an enigmatic figure from Jones’ past, and his reappearance sends shockwaves through her life. In the Marvel comics, the Purple Man has the ability to emit pheromones that allow him to verbally control the actions of others. When Jones was a superhero vigilante named Jewel, the Purple Man used his abilities to brainwash her and forced her to live with him for several months.
Tennant is best known to fans as The 10th Doctor from the hit science fiction series Doctor Who. Most recently, he starred in the FOX TV series Gracepoint, a remake of the British drama Broadchurch, which Tennant also starred in. Broadchurch is soon set to return for a second season featuring Tennant reprising his role as Alec Hardy. Usually, Tennant plays good guys or heroic characters, but here he will get to stretch his acting muscles as a villain yet again. Previously, he played a villainous minion of Lord Voldemort, Barty Crouch Jr., in 2005’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
A.K.A. Jessica Jones follows the life of a superhero-turned-gumshoe Jessica Jones. After her short-lived career as a superhero is over, Jones is looking to rebuild her life as a detective. However, she is soon drawn into cases involving people with extraordinary abilities in New York City. The series is set to premiere later this year on Netflix following Marvel’s Daredevil, which debuts in April.