Netflix's 'Iron Fist' tells atypical superhero story

The main cast of Netflix’s new superhero series “Iron Fist” and writer-producer Scott Buck, right, speak to reporters at a media event at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul, Wednesday. From left are: Finn Jones, Jessica Henwick, Tom Pelphrey and Buck. / Yonhap

By Park Jin-hai

Video streaming giant Netflix, which has seen a sharp increase in the number of its international subscribers, brought the cast and director of its latest original series “Iron Fist” to Seoul.

The superhero series based on the namesake 1974 Marvel comic book depicts an atypical superhero story _ brighter in its tone and more focused on drama than other productions, according the show’s executive director.

Writer-producer Scott Buck, who visited Seoul with the show’s main cast _ Finn Jones, Jessica Stroup and Tom Pelphrey _ said, “I think each of these shows takes its tone from the character. Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage are all darkly haunted figures,” during a media event at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul, Wednesday, for the 13-part television series. “But Danny Rand is not that way despite much tragedy in his life. He’s someone who’s always hopeful, who’s always optimistic. He is a bright personality.”

“Iron Fist” stars Finn Jones as Danny Rand, who lost his parents in a plane crash, was adopted by Buddhist monks in China and trained in martial arts to gain the power of the Iron Fist.

The story starts after he mysteriously returns to New York City, 15 years after being presumed dead, reclaiming his family’s company.

British actor Jones, of HBO’s popular “Game of Thrones” series, said shooting the action scenes was challenging, because he was pressed for time. “Martial artists have been training their whole lives to perfect their craft. I had three weeks. I had a very busy film schedule and I just had to use all my time around the clock to try to bring the character to life emotionally and physically,” he said. “But, as soon as I was in there and was getting myself involved in it, I found that I really enjoyed what martial arts brought to my life.”

Jones said what he most liked about his character was his imperfections. “For me to play a perfectly formed hero isn’t interesting. What is interesting is inspecting his flaws and embracing his faults,” he said.

The fourth Marvel-Netflix superhero series started airing March 17, however, it has received negative reviews from critics, for a lack of excitement and sense of real danger, in comparison to the successful franchises “Daredevil” “Jessica Jones” and “Luke Cage.”

Buck, who also worked on HBO’s “Six Feet Under” and Showtime’s “Dexter,” accepts that the show is a little bit slower than the other Marvel Netflix shows. “I think that’s largely because we were more focused on telling a story about a character evolving and growing and changing,” he said. “Even though Marvel does a lot of exciting action, battle sequences and fights, we couldn’t just do that for the sake of doing an exciting piece. Every fight we did has to mean something to Danny. They have to have a purpose.”