Marvel's Daredevil (Netflix)

[Silver Nemesis]

Who else is looking forward to this? Netflix is planning to release all 13 episodes simultaneously in May 2015. Steven S. DeKnight (Spartacus) is the series showrunner. English actor Charlie Cox (Stardust, Boardwalk Empire) is playing Matt Murdock/Daredevil.

And in one of the best pieces of comic book casting ever, Vincent D'Onofrio (Full Metal Jacket, Law and Order: Criminal Intent) will be playing Wilson Fisk/the Kingpin.

Other confirmed cast members include Eldon Henson as Foggy Nelson and Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page. Rosario Dawson's also been cast in an undisclosed role.

Filming began in July. DeKnight commented on the tone of the series, saying:

"We're going for a gritty, 1970s' New York feel for the show. We love the idea of beauty and the decay of the city, and Hell's Kitchen being a place that's both beautiful and gritty at the same time. And that's why Matt Murdock loves it and wants to protect it."

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2014/07/22/netflixs-daredevil-to-have-a-gritty-1970s-new-york-feel

I've got high hopes for this show. I'm predicting this will be Marvel's best live action TV series since The Incredible Hulk (1978-82).

[riddler]

Has marvel attempted live action TV since the Incredible Hulk? I know they wanted Thor and Daredevil back in the 90's but neither took off.

Daredevil is one of my 5 favourite comic characters so I'll blindly watch any live action medium he comes in. If any of you haven't seen the directors cut of the Affleck film, check it out, it's well worth it.

I think the casting choice I'm most interested in is Elden Henson. His acting in the Buttefly Effect was outstanding, for those who haven't seen it, it's about a character who has the ability to go back in time internally to various points of his life and make different decisions and thus always returns to a different version of the present. Henson plays his best friend and his character varies with each time travel. In reality Henson gained a lot of weight to film scenes where his character ends up crazy and then lost it to film scenes where his character ends normal. I thought his career would take off after that but sadly it never did.

Looks like they got a Kingpin, he`s one of the toughest comic characters to cast.

I`m hoping this takes off, not just because I`m a daredevil fan but I`m of the belief that TV is a better live action medium to portray comics than movies. Sadly due to budget reasons it`s a tough act to pull off on the small screen but DC seems to be getting it right with Arrow and Daredevil is one which can work on a smaller budget.


I`m also happy this is on netflix; typically netflix shows have less interference; TV you have to contend with the creators, the sponsors, the networks, and the fact that ratings almost always make one of the above greedy. Netflix shows are released all at once and don`t have that to contend with. And honestly they need not worry too heavily about ratings since that`s not how Netflix makes their money.

[The Joker]

I'm a casual Daredevil fan at best. I have issue #2 (featuring Electro), the first appearance of Elektra, and some of the Masterworks collections, along with other select issues, but that's about it. Having said that, I'm more familiar with Daredevil's early days written by Stan Lee, and some of the Frank Miller stuff, but haven't really made it a point in collecting or making myself familiar with the character outside of what I read off the internet (and the excellent documentary interviewing notable people who worked on Daredevil comics found on the 2-disc theatrical cut of 2003's Daredevil movie).

As far as the show goes, I'm looking forward to checking it out, and hope for the best with it. The casting, as a whole, is pretty good, and I've liked what I've read about it so far. Fingers crossed of course.

[Silver Nemesis]

Has marvel attempted live action TV since the Incredible Hulk?

•   Night Man (1997-1999)
•   Mutant X (2001-2004)
•   Blade: The Series (2006)
•   Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013-?)

Pilots were also produced for Power Pack (1991) and Generation X (1996), but the shows were never picked up.

I`m hoping this takes off, not just because I`m a daredevil fan but I`m of the belief that TV is a better live action medium to portray comics than movies. Sadly due to budget reasons it`s a tough act to pull off on the small screen but DC seems to be getting it right with Arrow and Daredevil is one which can work on a smaller budget.

I agree 100%. The serialised nature of a TV show can better match the episodic structure of a comic book storyline. As you say, the only real obstacle is budget.

I've been quite vocal on this site about my weariness regarding superhero shows that avoid costumes, superpowers and other elements deemed "too comic booky" for the medium of television. But with Arrow gradually embracing the more fantastic aspects of the mythology, and now The Flash following in its footsteps, it looks like that trend may finally be coming to an end. And hopefully Daredevil will hammer the final nail into its coffin. This show is after all part of the MCU, and with Captain America and Iron Man wearing their costumes from the comics, it would be kind of weird if Daredevil didn't wear his.

I'm a casual Daredevil fan at best. I have issue #2 (featuring Electro), the first appearance of Elektra, and some of the Masterworks collections, along with other select issues, but that's about it. Having said that, I'm more familiar with Daredevil's early days written by Stan Lee, and some of the Frank Miller stuff, but haven't really made it a point in collecting or making myself familiar with the character outside of what I read off the internet (and the excellent documentary interviewing notable people who worked on Daredevil comics found on the 2-disc theatrical cut of 2003's Daredevil movie).

Nowadays I'm only a casual Daredevil fan too. But I went through an intense Daredevil phase when I was a kid. I read a lot of the nineties comics, plus I collected the Frank Miller 'Man Without Fear' arc. Looking back on it, that was probably the first Frank Miller comic I ever read. But I've never read the early Stan Lee stories. I should try and track down a collected edition of those before the new series starts. 

Does anyone remember The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989) TV movie with Rex Smith as Daredevil and John Rhys-Davies as the Kingpin?

[riddler]

I have the first two Incredible Hulk films; the first one featuring Thor (which was fun but not overly faithful). The daredevil one was good although I wasn't a huge fan of the costume clearly revealing the blindness.


DC in general lately has been apprehensive about adapting comic books to live action. As mentioned the second season of Arrow seem to embrace it more and so far the Flash looks like it will. Marvels' never had that problem; they deviate their films from comics but overall make no bones about whom their target audience is. I think DC gets too greedy trying to appeal to a broader audience while Marvel would rather satisfy the audience they already have.

Now the ironic thing is daredevil is a hero who could fit the DC grounded style. His super powers are somewhat embellished but he's a realistic individual for the most part as are his main villains. Even though it will never happen, you could definitely fit Daredevil in Batman and Green Arrow's world.

[Silver Nemesis]

Now the ironic thing is daredevil is a hero who could fit the DC grounded style. His super powers are somewhat embellished but he's a realistic individual for the most part as are his main villains. Even though it will never happen, you could definitely fit Daredevil in Batman and Green Arrow's world.

It happened.

I've just finished reading Daredevil: Born Again after numerous online sources credited it as one of the best Marvel comics ever published. All I can say is wow. If you haven't read it, go buy a copy. Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli worked on it not long before they did Batman: Year One, and in my opinion Born Again is every bit as good as Year One. Hopefully the new TV series will adapt that storyline at some point.

The first images of Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock have appeared online.

Looking good so far. Still no pics of the costume yet, but I'm predicting Marvel will release one fairly soon. They'll want to pre-empt amateur pictures being taken during location shoots. And since they're filming it right now, that could happen at any moment.

The big question is, will it be the yellow and black outfit, or the more dominant red version?

[Silver Nemesis]

Here's D'Onofrio's ALS ice bucket challenge video.

It looks like he's got the perfect balance of bulk and muscle, and with his head shaved he looks exactly like the Kingpin from the comics. He's going to own this role.

Now show us the Daredevil costume!

[Silver Nemesis]

Netflix CCO Ted Sarandos has hinted the show will have a darker, more violent tone than the 2003 Daredevil film.

"The series will not be afraid to go darker than the film did. What we love about this particular set of heroes is that they're a little more down to Earth. Costume wise and also in that these are gritty crime stories, more in the streets than in the clouds."

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/JoshWildingNewsAndReviews/news/?a=106533

Apparently a screen test leaked on the internet earlier in the year. The scene in question featured the Kingpin forcing one character to cut another character's arms off. I assumed that scene wouldn't be in the final series, owing to the level of violence involved. But now I'm not so sure...

Speaking of the Kingpin, D'Onofrio did the ice bucket challenge yet again. And this time he challenged Daredevil himself, Charlie Cox.

Here's Cox's response to his "sworn enemy".

Cox has clearly been hitting the gym. It looks like he's got the right physique for the role. Hopefully he's been taking some martial arts classes too.

Now about that costume...

[Silver Nemesis]

Damn! As if the casting couldn't get any more perfect, Scott Glenn has signed on to play Daredevil's mentor Stick! Scott Glenn, who appeared in one of my favourite films of all time: The Hunt for the Red October (1990). He also appeared in Apocalypse Now (1979), The Right Stuff (1983) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Not to mention Michael Mann's cult classic The Keep (1983).

This has to be the most impressive cast for any superhero TV show to date. I can't say I've seen anything with Deborah Ann Woll in before, but judging from the pics of her online, she's quite a stunner.

I've also read that her real life boyfriend is blind. I expect that will add an extra layer of poignancy and earnestness to her performance.

Here are a few recent quotes from showrunner DeKnight concerning the tone of the show:

"With this version of Daredevil we wanted it to be grounded, gritty, as realistic as we could portray. That naturally fits in with the Daredevil character. Matt Murdock, on a regular basis, would get the sh*t beat out of him. That's one thing that makes him a great character. He's not super strong. He's not invulnerable. In every aspect, he's a man that's just pushed himself to the limits, he just has senses that are better than a normal humans. He is human. The other thing that really drew me to this character is that he's one of the most morally grey of the heroes... He's a lawyer by day, and he's taken this oath. But every night he breaks that oath, and goes out and does very violent things."

http://www.superherohype.com/news/315145-marvels-daredevil-showrunner-stephen-s-deknight-describes-a-grounded-gritty-series

When asked on Twitter about how violent the show would be, he replied:

"Less than Spartacus, more than SHIELD."

And added:

"There will be blood."

The cast and crew have been confirmed to appear at New York Comic Con next month. Which means we have less than a month to go before we see the costume, and possibly even some footage.

[johnnygobbs]

Thanks Silver Nemesis.  Scott Glenn is indeed great casting.

What part is Deborah Ann Woll playing?