Summary
- Marvel made a major creative overhaul for Daredevil: Born Again, replacing the head writer and director due to dissatisfaction with the show’s progress.
- The new directors, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, are starting from scratch and immersing themselves in all Daredevil content to develop a fresh direction.
- Concerns were raised about the slow pace of Daredevil’s transformation into his vigilante alter-ego, with the writers opting for a legal procedural approach instead of the action and violence seen in the Netflix series.
The production of Daredevil: Born Again underwent a major creative overhaul after Marvel decided to part ways with the head writer, Chris Ord, and the director in late September. Prior to this decision, less than half of the planned 18 episodes had been shot. Marvel’s top executives, including Kevin Feige, reviewed the footage and concluded that the show was not meeting their expectations. As a result, the series has been given a complete overhaul with a new creative team now being entrusted with the MCU series. Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead were brought in as the new directors.
As of now, Daredevil: Born Again is in its early stages, described by the directors in an interview with TheWrap as being at “day zero” in terms of production progress. They recently acquired an office and are fully immersed in consuming Daredevil content, not only from the Netflix show but also from all possible source materials. This approach is aimed at developing a comprehensive and engaging new direction for the series.
“We have the best answer for you. So you see this space we’re in right now? This is our office and we just found out we have an office about 45 minutes ago. And that’s what we’re at with Daredevil,” Benson said. Moorhead added, “It is day zero. We’re currently just consuming Daredevil content, not just the Netflix show but all the possible material. We’re just making our stew of information nice and thick.”
Daredevil’s Transformation into the Vigilante Did Not Happen For Four Episodes
Daredevil: Born Again is set to bring back some familiar faces from the Netflix series, with Charlie Cox returning as Matt Murdock. Among the concerns Marvel had about the show’s direction is the fact that it reportedly took four episodes for Matt Murdock to suit up as his vigilante alter-ego. The writers deviated from the action and violence typically associated with the Netflix version, opting for a legal procedural approach instead.
“Corman and Ord crafted a legal procedural that did not resemble the Netflix version, known for its action and violence,” and “Cox didn’t even show up in costume until the fourth episode.”
The returning cast also includes Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle, commonly known as The Punisher, and Vincent D’Onofrio reprises his role as Wilson Fisk, aka The Kingpin. The rest of the cast includes Sandrine Holt as Vanessa Fisk, Zabryna Guevara as Sheila Rivera. Genneya Walton as BB Urich, Michael Gandolfini as Daniel Blade, Clark Johnson as Cherry, Nikki M James as Kirsten McDuffie, and Arty Froushan as Buck Cashman. The synopsis for the show reads:
“Marvel Studios presents “Daredevil” in which longtime rivals Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) try to leave behind their darker alter-egos to serve the people of New York only to have their pasts catch up to them. In the first episode of the series we are reintroduced to the world of Daredevil.”
Daredevil: Born Again, originally slated for a Spring 2024 release, has now been reportedly pushed back to 2025.
