Moon Knightis coming together quickly! Just one day after reporting onOscar Isaaccircling the title rolein the upcoming MCU/Disney+ series, we now have the name of the director who will helm the series. Per Deadline, the acclaimed filmmakerMohamed Diab, whose work has played at Cannes and captivated global audiences, will be directingMoon Knight. If you don’t know his name, start learning.
Diab, an Egyptian filmmaker, made his directorial debut withCairo 678, a drama about state-sanctioned, gender-oriented sexual violence in Egypt. It was released just one month before the Egyptian revolution, andmany reportedon the film being instrumental to the cultural shift that led to this revolution. From there, Diab went on to direct the filmClash, a Cannes Film Festival entry about various factions (and those who weren’t aligned to anyone) regarding the 2012-2013 mass-scale Egyption protests. Diab has also writtenThe Islandfranchise of films, a series of action-thrillers that are among the highest-grossing Egyptian and Arabic-language films of all time. His next film,Amira, is scheduled to be released in 2021, and he’s also attached to direct a miniseries calledSandstormin that year.
This is, by my estimation, an incredible, interesting, and engaging choice of directors for the next entry in the MCU, one that represents that organization’s commitments to inclusion and thensome. The mythology of Moon Knight involves Egyptian tombs and spirits, and to hire an Egyptian filmmaker with a finger on the pulse of how contemporary Egypt is reckoning with its past to helm this story sensitively and exactingly is such a phenomenal call. Plus, Diab’s directorial efforts, while often leaning into a “suspense-fueled, real-time thriller” space of political drama (thinkThe Hurt Locker), don’t necessarily scream “blockbuster superhero filmmaking.” Will Diab change his style for the MCU machine, or will the MCU bend and mold for Diab’s previous tones and interests? WillMoon Knightfeel more likeHomelandthanSmallville? I’m very excited to find out — especially once we know for sure that Diab will be directing Isaac in the role!
For more onMoon Knight, here’swho’s serving as head writer for the series.
