‘Luke Cage’ EP Wanted Prince To Guest Star; Reveals Which Plot Point Was For ‘Purple Rain’ Singer

“Marvel’s Luke Cage” is loaded with celebrity cameos, but one singer that the writers wanted didn’t make it into the series. Executive producer Cheo Hodari Coker revealed that he originally planned to convince Prince to guest star in the finale of the Netflix drama.

In the series of tweets, Coker revealed that the swear jar in Pop’s Barber Shop was created with the “Purple Rain” singer in mind. Coker was hoping it would help Prince to make an appearance.

In 2014, Prince explained to Essence that he had adopted a policy against swearing. “Did you ever hear Muhammad Ali curse? Would you curse in front of your kids? To your mother?” he asked. “Marsha, Lianne, Janelle, Donna, Hannah, Ida, Liv, Shelby — they’re all my sisters. We shouldn’t curse at them. We need to treat all of them, and all people, like royalty.”

Unfortunately, Prince wasn’t in “Luke Cage,” but that was a creative decision. The show wrapped filming before his death, but Coker felt that Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings were a more logical choice for the storyline.

(Spoiler Alert: There is a “Luke Cage” Season 1 plot twist revealed below.)

Coker noted that Mariah’s (Alfre Woodard) rise to power needed to feel very different from Cottonmouth’s (Mahershala Ali) vibe. The music choice and the removal of the Notorious B.I.G. portrait both represented this.

“Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings were the better choice. Because that sequence is about Mariah being crowned,” Coker added. “And that’s why she replaces Biggie with Basquiat. A different kind of Hip-hop Hero.”

Even without Prince, “Luke Cage” has a pretty impressive roster of artists. Faith Evans, Jidenna, Method Man and more perform on the series. Method Man even released a new track, “Bulletproof Love,” for the show.

“Luke Cage” Season 1 is now available on Netflix.