Daredevil: Born Again was originally spearheaded by Matt Corman and Chris Ord. However, roughly halfway through production, Marvel Studios realised the writers were taking the Netflix revival in the wrong direction and a creative overhaul followed.
The Punisher's Dario Scardapane was enlisted to right the ship and that led to recastings, casting additions, a greater level of connectivity to Netflix's Daredevil and, thankfully, more costumed action.
SFX Magazine recently caught up with Scardapane to learn more about the changes. "[The footage] had some really strong points, but it wasn't feeling in line with what Daredevil had been established to be," he explained.
It's said that the original version of Daredevil: Born Again was a soft reboot which only maintained certain elements of the Netflix series. However, Marvel Studios decided to retroactively make the Defenders Saga part of the MCU which is why a new pilot was shot.
"At the very end of the Netflix show, Foggy, Karen and Matt had a dream written out on the back of a napkin," the showrunner explained. "We start with that dream. It’s not a dream that needs too much explanation; three good friends go into business together."
Charlie Cox also chimed in to say, "There was a U-turn after the strike, where we were headed in one direction which was interesting and valid. The argument was, if we’re coming back after all these years, we don’t want to just do exactly the same thing. Marvel looked at the episodes and knew it wasn’t quite working."
"We shot a whole new pilot and they reorganised what we had filmed to make it feel more like the show we had shot all those years previously," the actor continued. "Given what a Herculean task that was, it’s very impressive what they achieved."
Everything here sounds incredibly promising and it sounds like the new Marvel Television has found the right direction to take the Man Without Fear in when he returns to the MCU this Spring.
Check out a textless version of Daredevil: Born Again's SFX Magazine cover below.
In Marvel Television's Daredevil: Born Again, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), a blind lawyer with heightened abilities is fighting for justice through his bustling law firm, while former mob boss Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) pursues his own political endeavors in New York. When their past identities begin to emerge, both men find themselves on an inevitable collision course.
The series also stars Margarita Levieva, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Zabryna Guevara, Nikki James, Genneya Walton, Arty Froushan, Clark Johnson, Michael Gandolfini, with Ayelet Zurer and Jon Bernthal. Dario Scardapane is showrunner.
Episodes are directed by Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, Michael Cuesta, Jeffrey Nachmanoff, and David Boyd; and executive producers are Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Sana Amanat, Chris Gary, Dario Scardapane, Christopher Ord & Matthew Corman, and Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead.
Daredevil: Born Again premieres on Disney+ on March 4, 2025.