The Sopranos’ Annabella Sciorra is heading to Luke Cage‘s Harlem, in a role that has some intriguing connections to Marvel’s comic book history – a history not with Luke himself, but another Netflix alumni, Frank Castle.
Annabella Sciorra, and Rosalie Carbone as she appeared in Punisher: War Zone #2. Photo: Marvel, Image: John Romita Jr., Klaus Janson, and Gregory Wright (Marvel Comics)
Announced today via Marvel’s site, Sciorra will play Rosalie Carbone, described briefly in a statement as a “dangerous downtown criminal underworld power player with an eye, and an agenda, toward Harlem”. Luke Cage showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker said of her casting, “I’ve been a huge fan of hers since Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever, and Annabella Sciorra is no joke as Rosalie Carbone. You haven’t seen her this gangster since her thrilling turn as Tony’s formidable flame Gloria Trillo on season three of The Sopranos.”
In the comics, Rosalie was a prominent member of the Carbone crime family, introduced in The Punisher: War Zone in the early ’90s. The series saw Frank Castle infiltrate the Carbone’s organisation under the alias Johnny Tower (get it?) and attempt to take it down by pitting Rosalie’s father and uncle, Julius and Salvatore, against each other, getting close to Rosalie in the process. After Frank’s cover was blown, however, Rosalie inherited the Carbone family, and, furious at Frank’s deception, vowed to hunt him down in her father’s name.
Although it’s more than likely Sciorra’s Rosalie will be a very different figure compared to her comics counterpart, maybe there’s a possibility of bringing in the rest of the Carbones and a guest appearance by Frank? Perhaps not, given that another Marvel hero is already on the way to the show. We’ll have to wait until June 22 to find out, when Luke Cage returns to Netflix.