Netflix Cancels ‘Luke Cage’ After 2 Seasons

Netflix made a surprise move on Friday by cancelling Marvel’s Luke Cage, on the same day Daredevil‘s third season debuted and a week after Iron Fist was cancelled.

“Unfortunately, Marvel’s Luke Cage will not return for a third season,” Marvel said in a statement to Deadline. “Everyone at Marvel Television and Netflix is grateful to the dedicated showrunner, writers, cast and crew who brought Harlem’s Hero to life for the past two seasons, and to all the fans who have supported the series.”

Deadline reports that the show is ending after “creative differences” and an “inability for the parties involved to reach a deal.” According to the site, showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker and his team of writers had already finished several scripts, but Netflix was “not particularly impressed.”

The decision came as a shock since Luke Cage was met with far more critical and fan acclaim than Iron First, which was cancelled last week. Deadline even reported last week that Luke Cage was expected to be renewed “any day now.” However, the renewal was never announced.

Luke Cage starred Mike Colter as the title hero, an ex-convict who received bullet-proof skin after he was involved in an experiment while in prison for a crime he did not commit. He escaped prison to protect Harlem, where he clashed with local politicians and criminals. Luke Cage also appeared on Jessica Jones and The Defenders.

The series’ second season was released in June and ended with a cliffhanger. Colter was confident there would be a third season, and said at the Baltimore Comic Con last month that Coker already had an outline.

“I think the plan for Season 3 is to explore Luke’s ability to govern and be fair. At the end [of Season Two], we talk about there being a new sheriff in town, a new king in Harlem,” Colter said last month. “We’re going to see how he deals with this power, because we know absolute power can corrupt absolutely. And sometimes when you don’t have someone checking you, someone to put you in place, someone to tell you ‘you can’t do that,’ we sometimes get out of control. We see that everywhere.”

This leaves Netflix with three other Marvel series: Daredevil, Jessica Jones and The Punisher. The second season of The Punisher is expected to be released soon, although no release date has been announced.

Meanwhile, Disney is reportedly developing Marvel shows for its own streaming platform. The first project is expected to feature Tom Hiddleston’s Loki and Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Photo credit: Netflix