Awhile back, a reddit user named throwawaymcu claimed to work for a music sync company that recently received a description for music needed for an episode of Luke Cage. Naturally, one would be skeptical to believe the authenticity of such claims, but any worries were put to rest after evidence started to come in backing those statements. This included set photos of Luke Cage working in a barbershop and living above a Chinese restaurant as well as Paul McGuigan revealing to have directed the first two episodes written by showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker:
https://twitter.com/paul_mcguigan/status/711233693034029056
Now that we know the Reddit leak was in fact true, we have an idea of what the show's atmosphere and tone will be like:
Luke Cage is written by Cheo Coker (Ray Donovan, Southland) and the first two episodes are being directed by Paul McGuigan (Sherlock Pilot, Scandal Pilot). Played by Mike Colter, it is the story of a bulletproof, super-powered man on the run from the law who, despite his checkered past, can’t help but become a hero. We like to say it's all Marvel but closer in tone to The Wire.
TONE: Luke Cage is a dark, yet vibrantly kinetic world with cinematic scope -- SHAFT meets CITY OF GOD. The music is hip-hop in all its bombast and complexity, a living, breathing character in the show, with song choices ranging from the instantly recognizable classics to the fresh, next big thing. This unique tone will be the backdrop as we tell the story of a superpowered escaped convict at war with himself, who sets up shop in a community at war with itself. Marvel represents family entertainment. Our series will never show tobacco smoking or drugs. We are PG-16, never rated R.
SETTING: The Harlem of right now. A patchwork of brick-and-mortar history and a highrise future. Predominantly Black, the area is nevertheless a mosh pit of income brackets and ethnicities. Our hero, LUKE CAGE, moves in several worlds – he lives above a Chinese restaurant, and works for cash at a beloved barbershop by day. At night, he’s a dishwasher at a slick, gangster-owned nightclub. Within these different worlds Luke will notice a pattern: Harlem is plagued by crime, corruption, and gangsters, and needs a hero.
THEMES: Identity. Power. Manhood. Who is Luke Cage? Is he the escaped con that just wants to be left alone, or is he railing against his destiny to become a hero and better his community? Over the course of season one, Luke will grow into the hero we've been waiting for.
Luke Cage is the third of five Marvel premium Netflix series. It’s a dark, grounded, adult, premium cable show. Luke is one of Marvel’s most iconic “street-level” superheroes, with his origins going back to the early 1970’s, and he’s a huge fan-favorite.
Hip-hop playing a big role definitely lines up with the teaser trailer that played at the end of Daredevil Season 2, which was accompanied by Nas's Made You Look. Seeing that Cage is in Harlem, one can guess that the track will be heavily East-Coast inspired, but hopefully they pull from all around.
What do you guys think? Are you looking forward to the show? What kind of songs do you want to hear? Sound off below and don't forget to thumbs up!