Casting Moon Knight For Marvel's Disney+ Series

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The fan-favorite vigilante Moon Knight - oft-referred to as Marvel's answer to Batman - is finally going to be realized on screen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Kevin Feige recently announced the character's incoming incursion into Disney+, and now fans are rabid for every detail they can get regarding the plot of the show and who might be playing the Jewish-born hero.

Sources say that Marvel is looking for a Jewish-Israeli "Zac Efron" type to fill the role, which certainly limits the playing field, casting-wise. Other sources say Daniel Radcliffe is the front-runner to take on the role, and one could argue he's a polar opposite to Efron, although it would be easy to buy him in the role. It's hard to say which direction Marvel will eventually end up going.

Moon Knight (aka Marc Spector) is a former mercenary who finds himself pledging his life to the ancient Egyptian God of Vengeance, Khonshu - in order to save it. Returning to the United States, Spector uses a vast fortune to fight crime, dressed all in white so that the bad guys "see him coming." Struggling with multiple personalities, Moon Knight has long offered fans a twisted mirror image of Batman: a rich vigilante who mentally struggles with the weight of constantly shifting personas, as well as a thirst for violence not easily sated. Bearing in mind the responsibilities (and physicality) of the role, here are some young actors we think should be considered to play Moon Knight.

Logan Lerman

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Soon to be seen as a Jewish Nazi-hunter in Jordan Peele's upcoming Amazon Prime show Hunters, Logan Lerman has all the hallmarks of a prime candidate for the role of Marc Spector: young, athletic, handsome, and capable of the requisite amount of intensity to take on the role of Moon Knight. These features stand out especially in films like The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Fury.

Some fans might see Lerman as too baby-faced or innocent to take on what could potentially be a grisly role, but his violent-looking role on Hunters will likely quieten his detractors. Likewise, his whole character arc in Fury pivoted around his genuine progression from naive conscript to killing-machine. Ultimately, he's a strong candidate.

Jensen Ackles

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Jensen Ackles will soon be free of his 15-year commitment to the genre-television juggernaut Supernatural, and one can only imagine that the charismatic actor will be looking for new work. After all, co-star Jared Padalecki has already found himself the anchor of a reboot of Walker, Texas Ranger. What better way to one-up his best bud than by anchoring his very own Disney+ show?

Ackles has flirted with the MCU before, having been considered for the roles of Captain America and Hawkeye at varying points. Sadly, by losing out to Chris Evans or opting to stay onboard with Supernatural, he never materialized on-screen for Marvel Studios. Moon Knight could be his opportunity to finally join forces with Feige, bringing the right amount of quality acting and brooding intensity to the role. If Marvel is really looking for someone with Zac Efron levels of handsomeness, then they should look no further. He'd also bring with him his many thousands of die-hard Supernatural fans, which has to be appealing to Marvel's top brass.

Skylar Astin

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Skylar Astin might be better known as the love interest (with the voice of an angel) from Pitch Perfect, but he fits the mold for everything Marvel is looking for in Moon Knight. He's age-appropriate (33), Jewish-born, and handsome. The only part of the puzzle missing is that he hasn't necessarily taken on an action-heavy role in the past.

That is soon to change, however, as the likable actor has a World War II horror movie in the can, titled Ghosts of War (directed by Eric Bress (The Butterfly Effect), though the release date is currently unknown. Time will tell if the film shows off some of Astin's latent action chops. Astin might yet be the kind of left-field choice Marvel is known for.

Ben Foster

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If Marvel is looking for a Jewish actor who has intensity to spare and a penchant for packing on muscle for a role, they should consider Ben Foster. The character actor has an impressive resume, including a prior stint as a Marvel hero; he played the winged mutant Angel for all of three scenes in X-Men: The Last Stand. He was also in amazing physical shape.

His turn in the 2006 crime drama Alpha Dog is all the evidence needed to suggest he can successfully pull off "unhinged" "violent," but if fans need more evidence of that, they should check out 2016's Hell or High Water. Also, his performance in indie fare like Leave No Trace has also recently brought him much well-deserved critical acclaim. Although perhaps a little old for the part at 40 years old, Foster would make for a captivating anchor to the show. He also currently has only one film in production on his docket, meaning he appears to be available. Foster was always willing to return to work with Marvel, so why not on Moon Knight?

Gabriel Macht

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Gabriel Macht will be looking for work now that ratings-hit Suits has come to a close. Having already forayed into the world of comic book adaptations with the 2008 flop, The Spirit, one could imagine Macht being up for another, more serious stab at the genre.

With his brooding good looks and smarmy charm (perfect for a wealthy American Psycho-type like Marc Spector), Macht could make for a perfect Moon Knight. Sadly, The Spirit may have left such a bad taste in his mouth that he bears no desire to return to the four-color world of comic books. If that's the case, it would certainly be a shame. Seeing as Marvel is seemingly priming their character for a major new event in the source material, could it be enough to draw a seasoned actor like Macht to the role?

Shia LaBeouf

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Shia LaBeouf is either a completely genius choice for the role of Moon Knight, or he couldn't be more wrong. It all depends on who you ask. Regardless, one thing is clear: having gone through his heavily-reported mental breakdowns and brushes with the law, LaBeouf has emerged as one of the most exciting young dramatic talents that Hollywood has to offer.

His semi-autobiographical film, Honey Boy, where he features as his own domineering father (as a form of therapy devised in rehab), has cemented his reputation as a serious actor with buckets of intensity and self-awareness. Reports of his erratic behavior on the set of Fury is enough to sell the idea that LaBeouf can "do" crazy, which is arguably a feature required for Moon Knight's character.

It's extremely unlikely that Marvel would aim for LaBeouf, as his reputation for erratic behavior off (and on) the set may prove to be too much for them to want to deal with. LaBeouf himself is likely hesitant to revisit the world of big-budget studio super-heroics after his experience with the Transformers franchise - an experience he clearly doesn't respect and didn't enjoy, having been recently lampooned in Honey Boy - yet, a role as complex and exciting as Moon Knight could be enough to change his mind.