Marvel's Jessica Jones' heroine is 'incredibly flawed'

In true Marvel fashion, the studio’s latest project Jessica Jones has been pretty shrouded in mystery. Fortunately, executive producer Melissa Rosenberg was on hand at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour on Tuesday to divulge a bit of scoop on the upcoming Netflix series.

The drama follows the exploits of superhero-turned-private investigator Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), who works on cases involving people with extraordinary abilities. Pulling inspiration from Brian Michael Bendis’ Alias run, Rosenberg described Jones as an “incredibly flawed, damaged and interesting character regardless of gender.”

Noting that Bendis wasn’t afraid to “go there” with the character’s imperfections, Rosenberg says the show will go “ever further in all our storytelling.” “That’s the beauty of working with Netflix,” she continued. “It’s 13 [episodes]. There’s no pilot and then getting feedback, reaction and ratings. You’re in this bubble. So, what’s the story you want to tell? Where do you want to go with [the characters]? It’s a little scary at times, but I also think it’s the most freeing experience I’ve ever had.”

Still, Rosenberg said they’ve strived to stay true to the mythology of the character. “We’re using some pretty obscure characters, so we’re taking them all over the place,” she said while discussing Marvel being supportive of their creative process. “We have to be cognizant of the mythology and the world.”

Despite following Daredevil — and eventually teaming up with him (Charlie Cox), Luke Cage (Mike Colter) and Iron Fist (uncast) for the Defenders project — Jessica Jones is “wildly different” than its Netflix predecessor.

“Jessica Jones is a very, very different show than Daredevil,” Rosenberg said. “We exist in a cinematic universe, [and] the mythology of the universe is connected, but they look very different, tonally they’re very different… That was my one concern coming in: Am I going to have to fit into Daredevil or what’s come before? And the answer is no.”

But the contrasts don’t stop with tone. “My show’s called Jessica Jones,” Rosenberg said, noting that Cox may get a break during stunts. “There is no mask. Krysten Ritter is the hardest working woman in show biz.”

As for Daredevil, season 1 showrunner Steven DeKnight was on hand to assure critics that the series is in “fantastic hands” going into season 2, even though he has exited the series. Doug Petrie (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Marco Ramirez (Sons of Anarchy) — who worked closely with DeKnight and creator Drew Goddard in the first season — will both serve as the new showrunners. “They were there from the inception,” DeKnight said. “I’ve told them anything I can do, anything you need from me, you can call, I’m always there. It’s very important for me exiting to leave the show to them… It sounds like everything is going wonderfully and I personally can’t wait to watch season 2 with the rest of you.”

The 13-episode Jessica Jones is slated to premiere in late 2015.