FEATURE: Five Actors Who Could Play DAREDEVIL In The Upcoming Reboot
With 20th Century Fox reportedly under pressure to begin production on Daredevil before the rights revert to Marvel Studios, the question now is who exactly should play "The Man Without Fear" in the planned reboot. Well, here are five of arguably the best choices out there...
Regardless of which studio ends up making Daredevil, it's vital that they find the right actor to bring Matt Murdock to life on the big screen. Back in 2003, Ben Affleck failed to win over the majority of fans and critics, and in the near decade long absence of The Man Without Fear from the big screen, a lot of names have been thrown around as to who exactly should play the iconic Marvel superhero. He may not be as popular as The Amazing Spider-Man, or have action on the scale of The Avengers, but any fan of the character will tell you that a film starring Daredevil has the potential to be one of the best comic book movies ever.
5. MATT DAMON
At 41 years of age, if Matt Damon wants to play a superhero, he needs to seize the opportunity as soon as possible. Is he too old? Not necessarily, as despite its many flaws, the original Daredevil effectively jumped forward in time to an experienced Daredevil, telling his origin story with the use of flashbacks. The actor has shown his action abilities across numerous films (most notably in The Bourne Trilogy) and there can be no doubting the fact that he has the acting chops for a complex character like Matt Murdock. Of all the actors on this list, he perhaps seems the most unlikely to agree to taking the role, although with Jeremy Renner as the new face of Bourne, this could be the perfect franchise for Damon to take over.
4. MICAHEL C. HALL
The Dexter star is a fan favourite for the role of Daredevil among fans, so you might be wondering why exactly his name is so low down on the list. Hall is an incredible actor who hasn't had anywhere near as much time on the big screen as he deserves (although he still managed to be surprisingly good in the unsurprisingly awful Gamer). Instead, Hall has stolen the show in the Showtime series mentioned above and HBO's Six Feet Under. There's no getting around the fact that he would make for a great Daredevil, but are his roles in these shows really enough to prove that he's capable of having an entire franchise based around him? Well, yes, and Fox could do much worse when it comes to their choice of the next Man Without Fear.
3. MICHAEL FASSBENDER
He may already be Magneto in Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class and the tentatively titled sequel, X-Men: Days Of Future Past, but that doesn't mean he can't play Daredevil too! Admittedly, it won't work if Fox are planning a shared universe (doubt it) but if not, then he really would be a perfect choice. After stealing the show in Prometheus and delivering an Oscar worthy performance in Shame, if you don't think that Fassbender would make for an incredible Matt Murdock, then seek help! The only real reason that makes this unlikely is just how busy a schedule he has. Between the X-Men: First Class and Prometheus sequels, as well as several other films he's signed up for - Assassin's Creed for example - he may not have the time for 'ol Hornhead.
2. BRADLEY COOPER
Bradley Cooper's name was first brought up by numerous gossip websites when David Slade signed up to direct the Daredevil reboot (he has since dropped out). While the star of The Hangover franchise may not seem like a fitting choice for the Man Without Fear, a far more serious turn in Limitless last year showed that there's a lot more to him than gross out gags, while The A-Team went a long way in proving his action star credentials. A sequel to that seems extremely unlikely, so if Cooper is looking for a new franchise opportunity, what could be better than a superhero movie? Despite the fact that it would appear as if Fox intend to go the "dark" route for their reboot, the lighter tone in Mark Waid's Eisner Award winning Daredevil series shows that an actor who can bring some humour to the role would be a very good thing indeed.
1. JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT
Say wha-?! Admittedly, Joseph Gordon-Levitt may not seem like the most conventional choice to play Daredevil, but he is perhaps better suited to the role than the rest of the actors on this list combined. That's quite a statement when we're talking about the likes of Michael Fassbender and Matt Damon, but just take a look at some of Levitt's most recent performances in Inception, 50/50 and The Dark Knight Rises. All fantastic, particularly when we're talking about the latter two. This year, he also headlines Looper and Premium Rush. The fact is, the actor is one of the hottest properties in Hollywood right now, and between his popularity and acting skills, his involvement in Daredevil would make the film a surefire hit. Marc Webb owes Fox a movie, right? Could be a great thing for Daredevil fans if the (500) Days of Summer team reunited...