We get some more insight into what went down with Marvel retooling Daredevil: Born Again, exactly as my insiders first told you over the summer, and then months later the trades played catch up and exactly reported what I said.
Along with the new images of Charlie Cox as the Man Without Fear, Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk, and Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, it’s learned what Daredevil: Born Again was initially going to be about: a legal procedure dumbed down aimed at a wider group of people. Recall, Charlie Cox first appeared in the MCU as Daredevil in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law (which looks to have been canceled and won’t be getting a Season 2).
Showrunner Dario Scardapane fills in EW.com:
“It had been conceived as more of a legal procedural, and we really brought it back towards an action-based New York crime story. The real trick was to have the DNA of the old Netflix show, but then push it forward into something very new.”
Charlie Cox continues with how he and D’Onofrio saved the series by bringing it more in line with the Netflix show, again, exactly as I first told you. Also as I previously said, Daredevil was never canceled at Netflix because of poor ratings:
“Season 3 had been well received and they had already gone to work on season 4. They’d pitched me a really cool arc for the season. My understanding was they were really heavy into breaking that season in the writers’ room and then just overnight it went away.”
“The thing that we kept talking about was, this show has had the success that it’s had and has appealed to a very specific demographic because it’s one of the few superhero shows that is so dark and sinister at time. Vincent and I both felt like if you lose that, you are at risk of losing the identity of our show. So we really pushed for the show to remain geared towards an older audience and not dumbed down to kind of capture a wider net of people. I think in some ways it’s even darker than a lot of the stuff we’ve done in the past.”
So what happened is that following the MCU failing on Disney+, not only did Bob Iger demand Marvel pull back on content, but Kevin Feige rehauled its TV division, which included retooling Daredevil: Born Again to make it more in line with the popular Netflix series.
“I never thought it would be a TV show again. I just assumed that we’d done that, so maybe it would be something else. So I was shocked when they told me in 2022 that we were going to do a show, but I was also thrilled. It’s such a great medium for this character. There is so much story left to tell. So the more time we have to do that, the better!” Cox said.
Daredevil: Born Again premieres Tuesday, March 4, on Disney+ and also stars Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson and Jon Bernthal returns as The Punisher, with Margarita Levieva, Zabryna Guevara, Nikki James, Genneya Walton, Arty Froushan, Clark Johnson, Michael Gandolfini, and Ayelet Zurer.
Showrunner Dario Scardapane leads the production, with episodes directed by Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, Michael Cuesta, Jeffrey Nachmanoff, and David Boyd.
The series is executive produced by Marvel Studios heavyweights Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, and Brad Winderbaum, alongside Sana Amanat, Chris Gary, Chris Ord & Matt Corman, and directors Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead.
Here is the synopsis:
In Daredevil: Born Again, Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer with heightened senses, juggles his work at a bustling New York law firm with his nighttime vigilante alter-ego. Meanwhile, Wilson Fisk, the former crime boss, embarks on a new journey as he pursues political power. Their worlds collide as their past identities resurface, setting the stage for an explosive confrontation.
Watch the Daredevil: Born Again D23 trailer:
This trailer has me spraying it everywhere man…the hype is REAL#Daredevil#DaredevilBornAgain#Marvel#MarvelStudios pic.twitter.com/3XfITABw7N
— Tyler (Daredevil Arc 🦯😈) (@ABadJokeYT) August 25, 2024
