by Antwan Thompson
Forget Ben Affleck as Daredevil. Forget Jennifer Garner as Elektra or even Colin Farrell as Bull’s-eye.
Netflix has a new project in the works: Daredevil. It is set to premiere in the first half of 2015, starring Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Rosario Dawson, and Deborah Ann Woll. It’s just confirmed that acclaimed actor Scott Glenn has joined. He is best known for his work in blockbuster films such as “The Bourne Ultimatum”, “Silence of the Lambs” and “The Hunt For Red October”. Glenn will play Stick, the mysterious martial artist and mentor of Matt Murdock (a.k.a. Daredevil).
It is the first in a series of shows that will lead up to a Defenders crossover miniseries, and is produced by Marvel Television and ABC Studios, with Steven S. DeKnight serving as show runner, and Goddard acting as consultant. The plot is about the journey of lawyer-by-day Matt Murdock using his heightened senses from being blinded as a young boy to fight crime at night on the neighborhood streets of New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen as a masked vigilante.
Daredevil was created by writer-editor: Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett. Daredevil #1 first appeared in April 1964 but the show will not be based on Stan Lee and Bill Everett’s work. It will be influenced by “The Man without Fear” comic book miniseries by Frank Miller and John Romita Jr. A five issues mini series that was inked by both darkness and fame while at the same time hinting that Matt Murdock should have been a villain instead of the highly motivated guy who protects the innocent and does good, despite always causing chaos everywhere he goes.
The series was first revealed at this year's NY Comic Con. Reports show we should expect the show to be dark; it will be different from what we are use to seeing from Marvel on screen. It will be a little grittier and edgier than where Marvel has gone before without going too extreme on violence or nudity. The show will focus on the book and brings elements from it, staying true to its character and style. With this new and improved show, we can almost forgive finally the disappointment of 2003’s Daredevil and move on from it.
The reason why the movie bombed is because Ben Affleck's poor attempt at trying to be a square-jawed hero, but that only works if you are a hero. Mark Steven Johnson who’s the screenwriter and director, failed to ape the comics without coming even slightly close to building up the relationship between Matt and Elektra. That moment is nowhere near the power of the scene its trying to portray. In Miller’s original relationship between Matt and Elektra: it had them as college sweethearts reunited after many years - but in the movie, meeting in an embarrassingly inept coffee shop exchange led to an improbable sparring match in public.
Now with the renewal, it might have transformed the real Hell’s Kitchen into a Manhattan hotspot but Daredevil’s Hell’s Kitchen is still a cesspool of crime and corruption. Murder, robbery, drugs, prostitution - just another day in the neighborhood. But my concern is if the tone of the Daredevil reboot is any less grim and violent than The Dark Knight, how good can it be? If it is not typical standard comic book fare, as is in Gotham City: with its drugs, murder and violence, where will the audience be lead? Without those true elements that define Daredevil, where’s the fun in that? Will it be up to par without the elements when it premieres on Netflix? Time will tell.
GO FIGURE:
Sideshow Collectibles created a line of Marvel Collectibles, which is Daredevil Comiquette, capturing the man without fear in dynamic details. Each piece is individually painted and finished, each with its own unique quality and detail that is the trademark of a handcrafted Sideshow Collectibles product.
The product is nearly two feet high, its comes complete with three switch-out epitaph plates, one for Elektra, one for Jack Murdock and one blank for a customizable display. There's also a premium format (edition of 1000, strictly limited) figure coming in April. Stay tuned!
Other various and sundry Daredevil items are now available through our affiliates. And come join us at Facebook, we have a nice community there.