Oscar Isaac reveals why he took on Moon Knight after his experience on X-Men: Apocalypse

Oscar Isaac in X-Men: Apocalypse
(Image credit: Marvel/Fox)

There's no stopping Oscar Isaac. Having helped save the galaxy in Star Wars, acted as muse for the Coen brothers in Inside Llewyn Davis, and reigned over House Atreides in Dune, the somehow-still-not-Academy-Award-nominated actor will soon be a Marvel superhero thanks to Moon Knight.

The upcoming Disney Plus series, which is currently filming in Budapest, sees Isaac portray the title character – a US Marine who gains the powers of the Egyptian moon god Khonshu. We still do not have an official look at the series, but, while talking with Isaac about Dune, Total Film asked about Moon Knight. Here's what was said.


Total Film: How’s filming on Moon Knight going?

Oscar Isaac: Wonderful. Every morning, the alarm goes off, and I can’t wait to get to work. We’re having such a great time on this thing.

Were you excited to get back into that comic-book world after X-Men? Because you were open about that experience not necessarily being the best.

It’s not so much about the genre of things. It’s the people. And is there room to do something interesting in it? And sometimes there is, and you think there will be. And sometimes it turns out there isn’t.

So with this – I love the people involved. I thought there was an incredibly unusual story to tell within the world of, you know, the superhero language. But we’re making something that’s quite different, and that doesn’t follow the same... not necessarily even logic of what a lot of superhero films do.

I think because of that, I just found an opportunity to do something that I’ve not done at all yet, and to have a lot of creative collaboration with the rest of the people making it.


Moon Knight has directors Mohamed Diab and duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead attached, with the cast also including May Calamawy and Ethan Hawke. The series currently has a 2022 release window. For more, check out everything we know about Marvel Phase 4.

Meanwhile, Dune is scheduled to open in US cinemas and on HBO Max on October 22. It will open in UK cinemas on October 21. For much more on the film, including interviews with all of the starry cast, pick up a copy of the new issue of Total Film when it hits shelves on Friday 20 August. Check out the new cover below, as well as the cover of the special supplement that comes with the issue. 

Total Film's Dune issue and special supplement

(Image credit: Total Film/Warner Bros)

And if you're a fan of Total Film, why not subscribe so that you never miss an issue? You can grab both a physical and digital subscription – and subscribers get exclusive covers and big discounts. Click through the link for more info.

Jack Shepherd
Freelance Journalist

Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.