With Luke Cage now out on Netflix, Marvel fans are already looking ahead to the next Marvel Netflix series, Marvel’s Iron Fist.
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Actor Lewis Tan will play a villainous role in Iron Fist, that of Zhou Cheng. Speaking to Fab TV, Tan offered some information about Iron Fist and his character.
“It’s the fourth one that Marvel and Netflix have collaborated on,” Tan explained. “You’ve got Luke Cage, you’ve got Jessica Jones, you’ve got Daredevil, and now you have the Iron Fist, which will all be the Defenders. But the Iron Fist is more of a mystical kung fu based show.”
While Tan is skilled in martial arts, he had to a little extra training for Iron Fist. “I had to learn a particular style for this show, but I do kickboxing, Muay Thai, jujitsu, weapons, katana, all sorts of different styles.”
Tan offered some information about his Iron Fist role. “In the comic books his name is Zhou Cheng and he’s the guy that’s killed all of the Iron Fists up until this point, and inside of him he has a dragon,” he said. “It’s a very interesting character to play, and I had to learn a specific style that I won’t mention yet because I don’t want to give away too much.”
Tan did further hint that “It’s a rare style a kung fu,” and explained that Cheng is only “one of the bad guys” featured in Marvel’s Iron Fist.
In the Marvel Comics Universe, Cheng was possessed by the power of Ch’i-Lin, an entity that hungers for the egg of Shao Lao the Undying, the dragon that is the source of the Iron Fist’s power. For 75 years, Cheng – like his father before him – hunted the Iron Fist but was foiled by Danny Rand’s predecessor, Orson Randall. Eventually, however, Cheng caught up with the Iron Fist.
But Tan wasn’t actually trying out for the role of Cheng when he got in contact with Marvel Television. Initially, Tan had hoped to play Iron Fist himself, Danny rand. “It didn’t work out,” Tan said. “It went to Finn Jones, whose going to do a great job.” Tan found out that he got the villain role when he was “took a break” and went to Argentina. “I was on a nude beach in Argentina and I got a phone call. That’s a true story.”
However, Tan was a Marvel fan before he became part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “Huge Marvel fan. How could you not be? They’re killing it. I mean, look at Doctor Strange. Look at these shows that have come out. They’re just hit after hit after hit, so yeah, I’m really excited.”
Tan even met the great Stan Lee. “I met him at Disney a long time ago and we had a quick little conversation. The creativity of that guy’s mind, wow.”
Tan closed the interview by hinting at what Marvel fans should expect from Iron Fist. “It’s going to be something that you’ve never seen before, absolutely. So whatever you’ve seen up until this point, it’s new.”
Marvel’s Iron Fist will premiere on Netflix in March 2017.
