Daredevil: Born Again Cast, Showrunner, Directors And More Details
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The original "Daredevil" series on Netflix was a big hit with subscribers, earning a Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes for each of its three seasons. The story was a dark, gritty interpretation of the character that probably wasn't something parents wanted their young children to be watching. The more mature take on the source material resonated well with home audiences, which is why it was a shocking ordeal when it was announced the show had been canceled in November 2018.
After that, Charlie Cox's impressive take was never seen again ... well, not until "Spider-Man: No Way Home," where Matt Murdock — Daredevil's non-costumed lawyer alter-ego — made his triumphant return. Shortly thereafter, the Man Without Fear entered the frame once again, appearing in "She-Hulk: Attorney at Law" and sporting a brand new comic-authentic look in the process.
The blind lawyer-by-day, vigilante-by-night's comeback sparked widespread speculation about whether or not fans would be getting another season of his landmark series. Thankfully, it was later confirmed that the Marvel character was returning to the small screen in a Disney+ series titled "Daredevil: Born Again." With Charlie Cox suiting up for another go-round as the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, here's everything there is to know so far about the upcoming series.
When will Daredevil: Born Again be released?
Matt Murdock's new series has had a devil of a time getting made. Nearly four years after the Netflix "Daredevil" series ended, "Born Again" was announced in July 2022 at the San Diego Comic-Con. Later, we learned the series would arrive with a whopping 18 episodes, making it the longest Marvel Disney+ series by a long shot. Marvel even said we could expect the series in the spring of 2024 ... and then everything came off the rails.
First, Marvel was majorly impacted by the combined forces of the writers' strike and the actors' strike, causing delay in several productions ... including "Daredevil: Born Again." During that time, the Marvel head honchos took a look at the "Daredevil" series and realized they weren't crazy about it. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show felt more like a "Law and Order" legal show instead of the original bloody thriller we all loved on Netflix. Stranger still, Murdock didn't don his iconic Daredevil suit until Episode 4.
As a result, Marvel decided to release the creative team behind the series and basically start over. While some of the footage will still be used, the studio has brought in completely new creatives to shepherd the series along. As a result, we have no idea when the show is coming, and we also don't know if it'll still have 18 episodes. However, The Hollywood Reporter did reveal that Marvel executives plan on having "Born Again" last for two seasons.
What is the plot of Daredevil: Born Again?
"Daredevil: Born Again" will be a reboot rather than a continuation of the Netflix series. At the D23 Expo in September 2022, Charlie Cox revealed to ExtraTV, "It is a Season 1, it is not Season 4, so it is a whole new thing. Which I think is the way to go."
Now that Daredevil is properly part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe — sure, the Netflix series technically existed in the MCU, but they were run by the now-defunct Marvel Television as opposed to Kevin Feige's Marvel Studios, and the movies never treated those shows as canon — will it go as dark as the original series? Well, Cox has weighed in on that subject, telling NME, "My opinion is this character works best when he's geared towards a slightly more mature audience. My instinct is that on Disney+, it will be dark, but it probably won't be as gory."
Cox also predicted "Born Again" would be like an "old-school procedural show." However, in September 2023, Deadline reported that Marvel was moving away from that idea and would instead focus on a more serialized story. We're also wondering if the show will draw any inspiration from its namesake, the comic "Born Again" by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, where Wilson Fisk learns Daredevil's identity and proceeds to tear his life apart.
However, many elements of that story arc were covered in Netflix's "Daredevil" Season 3. Plus, we know the Disney+ series will have some serious departures from the comic when it comes to specific characters, and we're also wondering what new turns it might take after the series' original writers and directors were all let go.
Who is starring in Daredevil: Born Again?
Vincent D'Onofrio — the actor who famously played Wilson Fisk in the Netflix series and reprised the role in the Disney+ series "Hawkeye" — will be joining Charlie Cox in "Daredevil: Born Again." If you love watching these two battle it out, you'll also be happy to know that both Cox and D'Onofrio will appear in the "Echo" series, starring Alaqua Cox as the titular character.
Sandrine Holt of "Better Call Saul" is replacing Ayelet Zurer as Fisk's wife, Vanessa, and we'll also see the return of the one and only Jon Bernthal, playing the Punisher. Michael Gandolfini, son of the late James Gandolfini — who portrayed a younger version of Tony Soprano in "The Many Saints of New York" — will also appear. While we don't know for sure who he's playing here, Deadline has reported that he could possibly be "an ambitious guy from Staten Island referred to as Liam."
Margarita Levieva of "The Blacklist," Nikki M. James of "The Book of Mormon," and Arty Froushan of "Carnival Row" have all joined the cast, but unfortunately, it looks like two big names will be sitting this one out. It's been reported that Elden Henson and Deborah Ann Woll will not be reprising their respective roles of Foggy Nelson and Karen Page. As a result, we're not sure how closely the series will stick to its comic book namesake, as both Foggy and Karen are pretty big players in "Born Again" (and Frank Castle doesn't appear at all).
Of course, all this info was announced when the show had a different group of creatives running things, and we're unsure if the behind-the-scenes shake-ups will lead to any cast switcheroos.
Who is the showrunner of Daredevil: Born Again?
Originally, Matt Corman and Chris Ord were meant to serve as the head writers and executive producers on "Daredevil: Born Again." These two were best known for creating the Piper Perabo CIA series "Covert Affairs," and they also teamed up on projects like the military drama "The Brave" and the Danny DeVito/Matthew Broderick Christmas comedy "Deck the Halls."
However, in September 2023, both Corman and Ord were let go from their positions of head writers (although they will remain as executive producers). Evidently, the folks running Marvel Studios weren't wild about Corman and Ord's take on the Man Without Fear, as they two writers evidently wanted more of a legal procedural than a violent beat-'em-up.
So who is filling their shoes? Well, Marvel Studios has now tapped Dario Scardapane to take control of the series. Scardapane has plenty of experience in the world of TV, having worked on the John Krasinsiki "Jack Ryan" series, and he's also familiar with the gritty streets of Marvel, being a key producer on Jon Bernthal's "Punisher" series.
Perhaps most interestingly, Marvel is calling Scardapane the "showrunner" as opposed to the "head writer." Up until this point, Marvel has avoided having showrunners on their Disney+ series, but following critical failures like "Secret Invasion," it seems they're now going to start running their TV series more like, well, TV series. This means Scardapane will have much more creative authority over the project than previous writers have had on past Disney+ MCU shows.
Who is directing Daredevil: Born Again?
Originally, "Born Again" featured a huge lineup of directors, including Michael Cuesta ("Dexter," "Homeland"), Jeffery Machmanoff ("Lovecraft Country"), Clark Johnson ("The Shield"), and David Boyd ("The Walking Dead"). But after the behind-the-scenes drama, all the directors were let go. Some of their work will remain in the series, with Marvel keeping some episodes and scenes, but for the remaining footage, they've tapped two pretty exciting filmmakers.
Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are here to save the day, setting up shop behind the camera for the remainder of "Born Again." Benson and Moorhead burst onto the scene with indie horror films such as "The Endless" and "Spring," and in recent years, they've gotten even trippier and weirder with titles like "Synchronic" and "Something in the Dirt." However, Marvel fans will know them best for the work they've done on "Moon Knight" and "Loki" Season 2. With these two creative geniuses at the helm, we can't wait to see "Daredevil: Born Again" when it finally arrives.
Where you can watch previous seasons of Daredevil
Before "Daredevil: Born Again" arrives on Disney+, fans may want to pass the time by revisiting Charlie Cox's first run at the character. There are three seasons with 13 episodes each to enjoy available on Disney+. There are also the six episodes of "The Defenders," which feature Cox as Daredevil fighting alongside Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter), and Iron Fist (Finn Jones). Episodes and full seasons of "Daredevil" are also available to purchase on Amazon Video, Vudu, Apple TV, YouTube, and Google Play.
Fans looking to get better acquainted with the MCU Charlie Cox have a few options as well. The Man Without Fear sports his yellow suit in the Disney+ series "She-Hulk: Attorney at Law," where all nine episodes are available to stream. And he's also in "Spider-Man: No Way Home" as Matt Murdock, which is available to stream on Starz. There is no denying that there are plenty of options to keep fans of the Devil of Hell's Kitchen busy until the "Daredevil" reboot releases.