Luke Cage Showrunner Wanted Prince To Make A Cameo

Contains spoilers for Luke CageWhile Stan Lee manages to show up in every movie set in the MCU, Luke Cage showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker said he was hoping to include a far more regal guest star on the Netflix series.

In a series of tweets, Coker revealed that he had planned to ask Prince to perform in the Season 1 finale, but sadly never got the chance. Coker also said the swear jar in Pop's barber shop is a nod to the late singer, who famously kept a similar jar at his Paisley Park estate (via Us Weekly).

The showrunner added that he's happy with the musician he ended up with instead, but beware of the spoilers. He's pretty liberal with them.

The "Swear Jar" was for Prince. I was going to show him the first two episodes and convince him to play in episode 13.

— Cheo Hodari Coker (@cheo_coker) October 5, 2016

Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings were the better choice. Because that sequence is about Mariah being crowned.

— Cheo Hodari Coker (@cheo_coker) October 5, 2016

And that's why she replaces Biggie with Basquiat. A different kind of Hip-hop Hero.

— Cheo Hodari Coker (@cheo_coker) October 5, 2016

While the idea of a Prince cameo would have certainly been intriguing, there's no guarantee the singer would have agreed. However, he did previously appear in episodes of New Girl and Muppets Tonight, so it wouldn't have been entirely outside the realm of possibility. And Coker managed to convince Raphael Saadiq, Faith Evans, Method Man, and others to guest in Season 1.

Listen to the soundtrack to the first season in full, and watch a featurette that proves just how important hip-hop is to the show.