Written By: Nick Poulimenakos

While The Defenders is set to hit small screens everywhere when it debuts on Netflix in August, the second season of Luke Cage is gearing up for filming and now, the show has added two new cast members.

Mustafa Shakir of The Night Of will be playing John McIver, AKA Bushmaster while Gabrielle Dennis of the HBO show Insecure is joining the cast as Tilda Johnson, AKA Nightshade.

Both will star alongside returning cast members Mike Colter, Simone Missick, Rosario Dawson, Alfre Woodard, and Theo Rossi.

Shakir’s Bushmaster is “a natural leader, brimming with charisma, whose mission is focused on Harlem and vengeance.”

In a press release, Marvel TV president Jeph Loeb said:

“Mustafa’s incredible presence and power ignited us from our first meeting, and Gabrielle brings the charm and smarts to a very complicated role. Both will be wonderful additions to our already magnificent cast.”

Marvel describes Johnson as “a brilliant, holistic doctor with a complicated history in Harlem where, as much as she tries to stay far from trouble, it seems to always find her.”

Showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker spoke about the second season saying:

“I can’t wait for audiences to see the compelling paces we put both Mustafa and Gabrielle through. From the moment you see each of them on screen, I feel they will be powerful additions to the world of Marvel and Harlem’s Luke Cage.”

The Defenders will begin streaming on Netflix on August 18, 2017