People love classic supernatural comedy Ghostbusters, they arguably have an even deeper affection for Brendan Fraser’s beloved romp The Mummy, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the single most popular franchise in modern Hollywood, so it’s no surprise a combination of the three saw Moon Knight win massive praise from critics, fans, and MCU newcomers alike.
That’s not us making the comparison, it should be noted, but lead writer and executive producer Jeremy Slater, who revealed to ComicBook that combining elements of three A-grade properties was a key part of his pitch to Marvel Studios when he was trying to convince the top brass he was the right man for the job.
“I kind of came back with a pitch that was tailored kind of towards the stuff I love and the stuff I grew up on, which is Raiders of the Lost Ark, it’s Ghostbusters, it’s Amblin films, it’s the Brendan Fraser Mummy movie. It’s things like that. There was a lot of DNA in the pitch of like, ‘Let’s take the best, some of the best visuals and ideas from the Jeff Lemire run, but let’s sort of wed it to this big, crazy, globetrotting Indiana Jones-esque adventure, because that’s something that hasn’t been done before in the MCU.”
Slater’s pitch evidently went down a treat, and you can certainly feel several of those aforementioned influences seeping out of Moon Knight, even though the supernatural streaming exclusive is very much its own thing, to the extent that it barely ties itself to the wider MCU at all.