Report: Marvel Scrapping ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Disney+ Series, Plan “Significant Creative Reboot Of The Series”
John F. Trent
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A new report claims that Marvel Studios is completely scrapping their upcoming Daredevil: Born Again series for Disney+ after they had already filmed nearly half of the first season’s episodes.
(L-R): Griffin Matthews as Luke Jacobson and Charlie Cox as Daredevil/Matt Murdock in Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.
The Hollywood Reporter’s Borys Kit claims that Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios executives are scrapping their Daredevil: Born Again series after reviewing nearly half of the 18-episode show’s footage while the series’ production was paused due to the Writers Guild of America strike that began back in July, but was recently resolved and ended.
According to Kit, Marvel Studios canned writers Chris Ord and Matt Corman as well as all the show’s planned directors as they plan a “significant creative reboot of the series.”
However, while they have been removed as the series’ head writers, they are still part of this new show as executive producers. It’s likely a similar case to Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson getting an executive producer role after stepping away from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse due to creative differences.
(L-R): Charlie Cox as Daredevil/Matt Murdock and Tatiana Maslany as She-Hulk/Jennifer “Jen” Walters in Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.
Kit would also provide details on the now scrapped vision for the show detailing, “Sources say that Corman and Ord crafted a legal procedural that did not resemble the Netflix version, known for its action and violence. Cox didn’t even show up in costume until the fourth episode.”
However, while he reports that the show is undergoing “a significant creative reboot of the series,” he also claims that “Marvel plans to keep some scenes and episodes, though other serialized elements will be injected.”
(L-R): Charlie Cox as Daredevil/Matt Murdock and Tatiana Maslany as She-Hulk/Jennifer “Jen” Walters in Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Chuck Zlotnick. © 2022 MARVEL.
This report comes just weeks after details about the Daredevil: Born Again series were uncovered on the U.S. Copyright Office Public Records System by X user Scarlet Witch Updates.
Daredevil seems to be delayed to 2025! pic.twitter.com/2cQDRYT5yj
— Scarlet Witch Updates (@ScarletWitchUpd) October 6, 2023
Those details provided an official description for the show’s first episode, “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.”
Along with this description it also revealed a casting list that confirmed Jon Bernthal’s return as Frank Castle aka Punisher. Other actors and their respective characters include Margarita Levieva as Heather Glenn, Michael Gandolfini as Daniel Blade, Sandrine Holt as Vanessa Fisk, Nikki M James as Kirsten McDuffie, Genneya Walton as BB Urich, Clark Johnson as Cherry, Arty Froushan as Buck Cashman, and Zabryna Guevara as Sheila Rivera.
Fra Fee as Kazi and Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin in Marvel Studios’ HAWKEYE. Photo by Chuck Zlotnick. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
The casting descriptions confirmed a rumor that surfaced back in April from CanWeGetSomeToast that Nikki M James would be playing a race replaced Kirsten McDuffie.
The scooper shared on Twitter, “Sources from the set of Daredevil: Born Again have confirmed with me that Nikki James is playing Kirsten McDuffie.”
CanWeGetSomeToast Twitter
Mark Waid and Paolo Rivera created McDuffie back in 2011. As a new assistant D.A. she believed Matt Murdock was Daredevil, and even aided him in carrying out his vigilante work. The two eventually became romantically involved.
Kirsten McDuffie introduces herself to Matt Murdock in Daredevil #1 (2011), Marvel Comics
This casting list also appears to confirm that Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson will not be returning to reprise their roles as Karen Page and Foggy Nelson. The Hollywood Reporter previously claimed they would not be returning noting in March, “Other actors from the Netflix Daredevil series are not expected to return. Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson, who played classic supporting characters Karen Page and Foggy Nelson, respectively, are not on the roll call for the Marvel series.”
Their claim in the same report from March that Bernthal would be reprising his role as Frank Castle is confirmed.
The Punisher (Jon Bernthal) clears his cell block in Daredevil Season 2 Episode 9 “Seven Minutes in Heaven” (2016), Marvel Entertainment
The casting list also appears to have passed the baton from Ben Urich to a female character named BB Urich played by Genneya Walton. Urich was previously race swapped in Netflix’s Daredevil season 1 when he was portrayed by Vondie Curtis-Hall.
It appears they might continue with the race swapping of the Urichs, but have given the role to a daughter or other female relative.
Finally, the filing also reveals the show is not expected to debut on Disney+ until 2025 after previously expecting to arrive in December 2023. The ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike likely has a lot to do with the series’ delay.
(L-R): Charlie Cox as Daredevil/Matt Murdock and Tatiana Maslany as She-Hulk/Jennifer “Jen” Walters in Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Chuck Zlotnick. © 2022 MARVEL.
What do you make of this new report that Marvel Studios and Disney+ are scrapping Daredevil: Born Again?
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