Why Oscar Isaac Took Moon Knight Role After X-Men Apocalypse Experience

Oscar Isaac explains why he was willing to sign on for Marvel's Moon Knight after his experience on X-Men: Apocalypse. Last year, Isaac was confirmed to be joining the MCU as Marc Spector, a vigilante from the pages of Marvel Comics who gains the powers of the Egyptian moon god Khonshu. The Moon Knight show has been in the works since late 2019 and is currently expected to premiere on Disney+ in the first half of 2022. Ethan Hawke and May Calamawy star alongside Isaac, though their characters have yet to be revealed.

Moon Knight isn't the first time Isaac has participated in a superhero project. His first foray into the genre came in 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse, where he played the titular blue-skinned villain. The movie itself received lukewarm reviews from fans, and Isaac has since spoken openly about how much he disliked working on it. In 2018, Isaac discussed how the Apocalypse makeup and costume led to an "excruciating" experience. Additionally, disgraced director Bryan Singer was reportedly unprofressional on set. And yet, Isaac appeared to have no qualms about joining up with another comic book-inspired property.

While speaking to Total Film (via GamesRadar) about his upcoming movie Dune, Isaac touched upon why he agreed to do Moon Knight. He was asked if he was at all excited to rejoin the superhero world after Apocalypse, since his time on the film was so poor. Isaac was quick to say it isn't about the genre, but "the people." That, ultimately, helped him get interested in Moon Knight. Isaac explained:

"It’s not so much about the genre of things. It’s the people. And is there room to do something interesting in it? And sometimes there is, and you think there will be. And sometimes it turns out there isn’t.

"So with this – I love the people involved. I thought there was an incredibly unusual story to tell within the world of, you know, the superhero language. But we’re making something that’s quite different, and that doesn’t follow the same... not necessarily even logic of what a lot of superhero films do.

"I think because of that, I just found an opportunity to do something that I’ve not done at all yet, and to have a lot of creative collaboration with the rest of the people making it."

Considering Isaac's talent, one might say he's far better suited for the role of Moon Knight than X-Men's Apocalypse. In appearing in projects like Inside Llewyn Davis and Ex Machina, Isaac has proven his ability to disappear into different characters time and time again, and Marc's varying personalities will provide ample opportunity for him to flex all of his acting muscles. As Isaac said, it was Moon Knight's creative team and interesting perspective that drew him to it, which bodes well for the entire series. It certainly helps that it doesn't sound anything like X-Men: Apocalypse.

Production on Moon Knight kicked off earlier this year, but fans have yet to see any kind of official image or footage of the series. When it comes to television, Marvel is currently devoting its promotional efforts to ongoing animated show What If...?, and then it will switch gears for Hawkeye in the fall. It isn't yet clear as to exactly when Moon Knight will premiere, but there are at least a few more shows to go before it arrives. Fortunately, Isaac's positive words about the series will help keep excitement alive for the time being as the wait continues for more information.

More: Why Moon Knight Will Be So Wild (& Different To Other MCU Shows)

Moon Knight premieres on Disney+ in 2022.

Source: Total Film (via GamesRadar)