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Mary J. Blige joins Netflix’s upcoming series ‘The Umbrella Academy’

By Kelly Shanaphy

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Mary J. Blige is joining The Umbrella Academy Netflix

According to Variety, The two-time Academy Award nominee and nine-time Grammy winner, Mary J. Blige, is joining Netflix’s highly anticipated new series: The Umbrella Academy. After an astounding year for Blige with her movie, Mudbound, it comes as no surprise that Netflix would want to include her in more of their ventures.

Based on Gerard Way’s comic book series, The Umbrella Academy follows a superhero family that must unite despite their differences. Blige won’t actually be playing a member of the family, but a time-traveling assassin named Cha-Cha. She usually works beside her partner, Hazel (who has yet to be cast), and the two are considered extremely dangerous as well as maniacal. In the comics, the two are known for wearing brightly colored masks, but it looks like the television adaptation will stray a bit from their cartoonish appearances on the show.

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In The Umbrella Academy on Netflix, Cha-Cha is supposed to be ruthless and sadistic but apprehensive towards the organization she works for. Despite this trepidation, Cha-Cha has a lust for torture and a reputation as a “pain artist”. However, Blige marks a big change to the character in terms of gender since Cha-Cha is notoriously a male working alongside his partner Hazel. Nevertheless, it seems like Netflix plans to keep the intimate relationship between the two assassins no matter what gender, which is what matters the most for fans of the original graphic novels.

After Mary J. Blige’s fantastic job in Netflix’s Mudbound, which she earned her two Academy Award nominations, it comes as no surprise that the streaming network would want to get her more involved in some of their projects. She joins an already impressive cast in The Umbrella Academy that includes Ellen Page, Robert Sheehan, and Tom Hopper. With only six out of the eight members of the Hargreeves family cast, it looks like the streaming network will be announcing more additions to the ensemble soon.

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Filming began for the superhero drama in January after Jeremy Slater, who recently wrote Death Note for the streaming giant, penned the pilot. While Netflix has yet to release an official premiere date for The Umbrella Academy, it’s expected to debut sometime in 2018.

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