New Marvel Series ‘Ironheart’ to Film in Chicago April 2022

Those in pursuit of promising TV production news for 2022 need look no further. A blockbuster new series is headed for Chicago in the form of Marvel Studios’ Ironheart, which reportedly begins filming this April. There will be many more announcements ahead, but there is plenty to share thus far, let’s dive in…

Here’s What We Know So Far

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige is producing the series, which will be presented on Disney+, with an anticipated 2023 release. Feige’s team is led by head writer Chinaka Hodge (Snowpiercer) and actor Dominique Thorne (Judas and the Black Messiah) in the title role. Feige also revealed that Thorne will make her first appearance as Ironheart in the highly anticipated Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Marvel Cinematic Universe diehards are aflutter with guessing which famed heroes and heroines may soar into the Ironheart series. According to ScreenRant, “There is a strong chance that MCU veterans like War Machine (Don Cheadle), Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), and Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) could appear. Many are also hopeful that Robert Downey Jr. will return as an AI version of Tony Stark. Meanwhile, Riri’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever role could mean Shuri (Letitia Wright) and other characters from the sequel could pop up too.”

So Who Is Ironheart?

Comic book aficionados will recall that Riri Williams/Ironheart was first introduced in Marvel Comics in 2016, the creation of writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Mike Deodato. In the comics, she is a 15-year-old MIT student who reverse engineers Iron Man’s armor in order to create armor of her own. Iron Man, also known as Tony Stark, eventually took notice and gave her his encouragement to pursue the life of a superhero.

There is another notable Chicago connection with the Ironheart franchise. One of the writers on the comic book series back in 2018 was Chicagoan Eve Ewing. Click here to enjoy her interview with marvel.com. As to Ewing’s involvement with the television series, SCREEN will have updates as they become available.

To bring you up to speed, here is a quick Ironheart character breakdown from vlogger Blerd Without Fear…

Meet Ironheart Head Writer Chinaka Hodge

Hodge is a screenwriter, poet, playwright, and educator. Her past television writing credits include the Apple reboot of Amazing Stories, as well as the TNT series adaptation of Snowpiercer, starring Daveed Diggs. She has published two books of poetry to date, For Girls with Hips: Collected Poems and Writings and Dated Emcees. Her plays include Chasing Mehserle and Mirrors in Every Corner. She is also a founding member of the hip hop collective “The Getback” along with Diggs and others.

What better way to introduce yourself to Chinaka Hodge than to take a listen to her recent TED Talk…

Looking Ahead

There are many more announcements ahead, as Ironheart currently doesn’t have any directors attached or supporting characters confirmed. It does look like Avengers: Endgame casting director Sarah Finn will be heading up casting, joined by Jason B. Stamey.

If Ironheart stays on this filming schedule, fans can expect to see the show on Disney+ sometime in 2023, according to ScreenRant. An Ironheart debut in the first half of 2023 would seem to fit nicely into the MCU timeline. It would fall just a few months after Dominque Thorne’s debut as “Riri Williams” in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Check back here at SCREEN for updates as Ironheart forges ahead into production.