Luke Cage Season 2 Premiere Being Directed by Lucy Liu

After a set photo of Lucy Liu on the set of Luke Cage in Harlem led fans to speculate that the actress could be appearing as a guest star in season 2, we now have confirmation that Liu will actually be directing an episode of the series.

Marvel and Netflix have now confirmed that Liu will direct the Luke Cage season 2 premiere. Liu spoke to BuzzFeed News about the experience of directing the episode:

What a thrill to collaborate with Marvel and Netflix, two industry titans, who paint our world with inspiring stories and beguiling characters.

Liu described working with them as “an honor.” Executive producer Jeph Loeb had kind words of his own for Liu’s approach to the series:

When you’re dealing with a bulletproof man, it helps if you have a bulletproof director. Lucy brings a keen eye, a superb sense of story, and an obvious love of actors. She is rocking Luke Cage 2.

If fans had known that Liu would be directing an episode of one of Marvel’s Netflix shows, Iron Fist would have been the most obvious choice, considering the actress’ background. Throughout her career, Liu has been an active martial artist with roles in kung fu films such as Kill Bill, The Man With The Iron Fists, and Shanghai Noon. Liu has also had voice-over roles in the Kung Fu Panda franchise. Luke Cage will be both interesting and new territory for Liu.

Though Lucy Liu isn’t new to directing, the actress has only directed five episodes since her directorial debut in 2011 with Meena, a short film about sex trafficking in India. Since then, Liu directed an episode of Graceland, and four episodes of Elementary, a show which she also starred in. Both Graceland and Elementary fit into the category of procedural dramas. The format of a Netflix series like Luke Cage could give Liu more flexibility and freedom as a director.

Considering the excitement that both Loeb and Liu have for her work in the premiere, fans can surely look forward to seeing what she brings to the sophomore series, and if Liu will be brought back to direct a future episode. If the episode is well-received, it’s possible that we’ll see Liu continue to work with Marvel and Netflix on their other shows, too.