Update: Krysten Ritter Is 'Jessica Jones' for Marvel Studios and Netflix

Update 12/4: Since Krysten Ritter just landed the role of Jessica Jones in the Marvel/Netflix series, we;re republishing our recent guide to the character.Out of all of Marvel’s upcoming projects, the one with the least amount of “legacy” behind it is the Netflix series Jessica Jones. In fact, Marvel’s never even published a comic called Jessica Jones; the comic was called Alias, but that title was already claimed for TV by another popular action show. Casting rumors for the lead role on Jessica Jones have just started to ramp up, as Marvel builds towards itsDefenders miniseries.Krysten Ritter (Breaking Bad, Don’t Trust the B--- in Apartment 23), Alexandra Daddario (Percy Jackson, True Detective), Teresa Palmer (Warm Bodies), Jessica De Gouw (Arrow) and Marin Ireland (Homeland) are in the running, according to Deadline’s sources. All the candidates seem like reasonable choices -- working actors with some measure of recognizability, right on the cusp of a higher profile. Casting feels a little young for this character, who we meet in the Marvel universe after she’s already had her day in the sun as a wannabe superhero.When we meet Jones for the first time in her 2001 comic book series, she’s a private investigator trading in on the connections she made during her short time as a superhero (alias Jewel). She was given superstrength and flight after a radioactive accident, but gave up on superheroics after one too many run-ins with the darkest nature of supervillains. Her comic (written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by Michael Gaydos) inspired the MAX imprint at Marvel so that the publisher could tackle more adult subject matter within the fringes of its superhero universe. She’s streetwise and if there’s a word for being “superhero universe”-wise, she’s that too.No surprise then that she has romantic sparks with Luke Cage, a streetwise superhero if ever there was one. Cage is also due for his own Netflix series, and Deadline mentions Mike Gross, Mike Colter and Cleo Anthony as actors in the running for that part. Sorry, Terry Crews, but Marvel’s looking for younger actors right now. Under Bendis’ guidance, Cage and Jones become one of Marvel’s power couples, anchoring a team of Avengers while raising a child together.We likely won’t see that happen across the first seasons of their shows, but each show is implicated into the other in interesting ways. Besides the Cage and Jones relationship, Daredevil has appeared in the pages of Alias, and the other Netflix show, Iron Fist, is about Cage’s best friend and partner Danny Rand (no casting news on Rand just yet). They’re building a street-level universe across the streaming network that should grow the Marvel brand in interesting, and possibly more mature, ways. There’s even the possibility that they’re casting so young with the potential of having Cage or Jones be a part of whatever a fifth Avengers movie looks like beyond 2020.Jones doesn’t have a supporting cast to speak of (outside of Luke Cage), but there are a few characters that have been associated with her, off and on, through her brief time in the Marvel universe. The most popular of these is Squirrel Girl, a comic-relief mutant with the ability to control squirrels, who acted as the trusted nanny for Jones and Cage’s baby for a time. It sounds ridiculous now, but if Marvel’s looking for another Rocket Raccoon breakout character, this one has all the fan support in place. Bob Gunton is playing the Owl on the Daredevil series, and interestingly, Jones and Cage met busting the Owl (the same incident that caused Jones to leave the superhero game for a while), so we might expect Gunton to bring the character over into her series. There’s also some chance we might see Killgrave, the Purple Man, a mind-controlling villain more closely associated with Daredevil, who once took over Jones’ mind for almost a year. Characters who appear often in her comics, like J. Jonah Jameson, Man Mountain Marko and Spider-Woman are less likely to appear, due to complications with Sony’s Spider-Man franchise.Whoever plays Jones will need to immediately come across as tough and smart and with little patience for superheroic shenanigans. She should banter well with whomever plays Cage and have palpable sexual chemistry with that actor. More than any other single Marvel Cinematic Universe title character, this part will be the first time many are even hearing about this individual. It’s a huge first impression to make. I don’t envy the pressure, but, damn, what a role.