In the coming years, Netflix will debut five TV shows based on Marvel characters: The Defenders: Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. With Daredevil set to premiere sometime in 2015, Netflix and Marvel are moving ahead with the other characters within this shared TV universe. Krysten Ritter (Breaking Bad) was recently cast as the lead in A.K.A. Jessica Jones, and Marvel seems to have their sights set on an Mike Colter (The Following) for Luke Cage.

Although both showrunner Melissa Rosenberg Marvel’s head of TV Jeph Loeb expressed their confidence in Ritter, the actress hasn’t yet commented on the casting. Now, while promoting her new film, Tim Burton’s Big Eyes, she said she’s excited for the role.

In an interview with Cosmopolitan, Ritter said she wasn’t a comic book fan when she was cast in A.K.A. Jessica Jones, but has since been reading and “devouring” the ex-superheroine’s series. According to the actress, she’s spending all her free time reading Jessica Jones because she’s “hooked.”

Read Ritter’s full quote:

“I wasn’t. It’s so brand new! This is like my first interview. I wasn’t, but I am now reading the Jessica Jones comics and devouring them. And [I'm] hooked. I don’t think I’ve been so hooked on something since Serial. So now I feel that way about the Jessica Jones series. I can’t wait. I mean, as soon as we’re done today, that’s what I am going to be doing. I’m really excited about Jessica Jones. It’s so f***ing cool. It’s so cool. I can’t wait to watch it.”

The Jessica Jones series follows the titular character who suffers from PTSD and hangs up her costume. She becomes a private investigator to help people as well as other superheroes. Additionally, the character has a relationship with Luke Cage, who will presumably appear in A.K.A. Jessica Jones.

In her interview, Ritter also spoke about how she is excited to work with a female showrunner because of her recent work with other female directors and showrunners such as Amy Heckerling (Vamps, Clueless), Kat Coiro (L!fe Happens), Jessica Goldberg (Refuge, Parenthood), Leslye Headland (Assistance, Bachelorette), and Nahnatchka Khan (Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23).

With the current culture of superheroes appearing in large numbers both in film and on television, it isn’t completely necessary for actors and actresses cast in the role of comic book characters to read the source material. Plenty have managed to bring superheroes and villains to the screen without the insight provided by the books. For some of the longer running characters, so much lore could actually bog down an actor and make his/her job more difficult.

That being said, even those who weren’t enthused by Ritter’s casting as Jessica Jones can admit the actress seems to be as excited for the role as fans are for the series. Although there’s no telling how her homework reading will impact her final performance, it may give fans of Jessica Jones more confidence in the actress as well as the series as whole.

What do you think, Screen Ranters? Should actors and actresses always read the comic books before they bring the characters to the screen? Or do you think it’s optional? Let us know in the comments!

Daredevil will premiere on Netflix in 2015, with Jessica Jones following sometime thereafter.