'The Defenders' release date news, spoilers: Sigourney Weaver teases villainous role

While Netflix's team of Marvel superheroes won't be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the Avengers any time soon, fans can still look forward to their own team-up project, "The Defenders." Recently, one of the new faces joining the upcoming miniseries, Sigourney Weaver, expressed her excitement about becoming part of the Marvel Television universe.

"I am doing 'The Defenders,' which is a lot of fun. It has a wonderful cast, and we're doing it right here in New York, which means a lot to me," the actress told Movies.com.

Weaver's casting was first announced in October during Marvel's New York Comic Con panel. Jeph Loeb, head of Marvel Television and executive producer of "The Defenders," said that they were honored that someone of Weaver's caliber has joined what is touted to be their "biggest show ever."

Marvel has yet to confirm Weaver's character but did say that she will have a significant role in "The Defenders." It is expected that she will play the miniseries' villain and will go up against Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter) and Iron Fist (Finn Jones).

"Basically the four heroes come up against this really nice woman, who I'm playing," Weaver joked, adding, "It's been a blast and I really love my character. I love the shows, too, which I wasn't familiar with before doing this. A real love letter to New York."

Weaver is no stranger to the science fiction genre, given her participation in the "Aliens" and "Avatar" film franchises, but the actress hinted that the scope of the MCU may be too complex for her and she feels much more at home with a project like "The Defenders."

"To me they're not superheroes; they're people with a gift. It's just a different scale, and I'm enjoying the scale of it. The apocalyptic thing is a little harder for me to understand," she explained.

"The Defenders" is scheduled to be released on Netflix in 2017. No official date has been announced, but it is expected to arrive after the premiere of "Iron Fist" on March 17, 2017.