Krysten Ritter has revealed that a second season of Netflix's hit show Jessica Jones will start filming immediately after the new Marvel series The Defenders.
The actress, who stars in both, has said the shows might share some production time.
"They'll be back-to-back. I don't know if they'll overlap a little bit," she told Digital Spy. "It's about to be a serious undertaking. I'm starting my physical training – lots of weight training and boxing."
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The new series is set to focus more on her character's life pre-Jessica Jones. According to the comics, the superhero was adopted by the Jones family and later came under the command of Zebediah Killgrave, aka the Purple Man (played by David Tennant), who used his power of mind control to psychologically torture her.
Ritter says she is excited to see what happens next: "The end of season one left a lot of doors open and questions unanswered. Killgrave was her reason for getting up every morning. Saving people gave her purpose. I wonder how emotionally taxed she's going to be now. That opens a lot of doors."
Ritter dropped some hints about other possible Marvel crossovers in the show, saying: "We all live in the same universe, so there are endless possibilities as to who will come out and play."
The first season of Jessica Jones wowed fans and critics and was praised for its feminist undercurrent, its complex heroine and willingness to tackle adult subject matter, such as rape, abuse, alcoholism and abortion, as well as its "multicultural and sexually multivalent cast".
"Jessica Jones is not only one of Netflix's best original series, nor just one of Marvel's best TV ventures – it was one of the best TV shows of 2015," Adam Chitwood on Collider says.
He also praises the "ground-level superhero story" and the way the entire first season focused on a sexual-assault survivor story brought to life via Ritter's "phenomenally dynamic and complex performance".
Jones is "one of the most fascinating Marvel characters yet", he says, adding that he is waiting for season two with "a serious degree of anticipation".
But before Ritter can jump back into that role, Chitwood notes, she has to report for duty in the ensemble series The Defenders.
Marvel's The Defenders follows the Avengers model, where superheroes with independent stories team up to defeat a greater threat. For this series, Jessica joins forces with Daredevil, Luke Cage and Iron Fist.
The bad news is more waiting for fans, says James Roberts on ScreenRant. With The Defenders and Jessica Jones filming in such close proximity, we probably won't see the second season of her show until 2017 at the earliest, he adds.
There is a possibility, however, that Ritter might appear on Netflix later this year when Luke Cage is released, continues the journalist. Luke was introduced in the first season of Jessica Jones and the two characters forged an intense relationship – and in the comics, they are married and have a child together.
Ritter has been suspiciously coy about the subject, but hasn't explicitly denied being involved with the Luke Cage production, notes Roberts – "so the door remains open for now".
Jessica Jones: photos reveal actors for new Netflix series
18 September 2015
The first teasers for Marvel's upcoming Netflix series, Jessica Jones, have been revealed, including photos showing Krysten Ritter and David Tennant – what do they tell us about the new show?
The 13-part Marvel series, developed for Netflix by former Dexter writer Melissa Rosenberg, is based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It is the second in a set of four planned Marvel live-action series, following Netflix hit Daredevil, which premiered earlier this year.
In the series, Jessica Jones - portrayed by Breaking Bad actress Ritter - is a tough-talking former superheroine turned investigator. According to Digital Spy she is "a hot-tempered, sardonic, badass private detective in Hell's Kitchen, New York City".
Jones is "plagued by self-loathing, and a wicked case of PTSD", says Digital Spy. She "battles demons from within and without, using her extraordinary abilities as an unlikely champion for those in need... especially if they're willing to cut her a cheque".
Other key characters in the series who have been revealed in the teaser photos include Dr Zebediah Kilgrave (aka The Purple Man), played by former Doctor Who star David Tennant. Kilgrave is a sinister villain from Jones's past, who has the ability to use mind control.
Jessica has a best friend called Trish 'Patsy' Walker, who has been revealed in the teaser photos as Australian actress Rachael Taylor (Grey's Anatomy). In the Marvel comics, Patsy is also the superhero Hellcat.
Mike Colter, (The Good Wife's Lemond Bishop), appears as Luke Cage, Jessica's love interest who runs a bar and is also a superhero in the comics.
The Netflix photos have also revealed that Carrie Anne Moss will be in the show. Moss, best known for her role in The Matrix films, will play an original character developed for the series and named so far only as Harper.
Last week Marvel Entertainment released the first teaser trailer for the series, reports Polygon. The trailer was "stylish but vague", full of semi-abstract images that gave only a silhouetted hint of the show's eponymous heroine and a sense of moody menace and melancholy.
Jessica Jones will be followed by a third series focused on Jones's love interest, Luke Cage, and final series called Iron Fist. Eventually all four shows will lead to a team-up in The Defenders.
Jessica Jones is due to air on Netflix on 20 November.
