When The Conjuring and Outer Range star Lili Taylor was announced as being part of the Daredevil: Born Again cast, it was said that she'd be a political foil to Vincent D'Onofrio's Mayor Wilson Fisk.
Talking to Rural Intelligence about her new book, Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing, Taylor spilt the beans on her role. "I’m the Governor, which is great," the actor confirmed. The New York Governor was mentioned in the season 1 finale, though Commissioner Gallo never managed to reach her (what with the Kingpin crushing his head and all).
Taylor would go on to say that her scenes take place primarily in Albany. "I know Albany, and I know the politics there. We’ve got a set for inside, and then we did the outside at this really nice place in Tarrytown—that was the governor’s house."
Asked to expand on her MCU experience, she added, "It’s a TV show in New York. The locations are very familiar to me. More importantly, the people I’m working with—Dario [Scardapane] the creator, the producer Sana [Amanat], and Vince D'Onofrio—really care about what they’re making. So it doesn’t feel like this big corporate thing. It feels like we’re telling a story that matters."
In Daredevil: Born Again's season 1 finale, Fisk announced that New York would be put under martial law after Bullseye attempted to assassinate him. He's also tasked his Anti-Vigilante Task Force with taking out the Big Apple's vigilantes, and for those who disagree with the Mayor, there are plenty of cages waiting for them.
It makes sense then that New York's Governor would attempt to step in, though how successful she'll be remains to be seen. Hinting that season 2 will be full of political intrigue, Taylor added, "They’re creating something meaningful. And the show’s dealing with a lot of topical stuff—power, authoritarianism."
With Daredevil essentially forced to give up being Matt Murdock heading into this next batch of episodes, it makes sense that the non-superhero action will likely shift from the courtroom to the political realm.
Yesterday evening, it was confirmed that Krysten Ritter will make her MCU debut as Jessica Jones in Daredevil: Born Again next year. You can read more about that here.
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.
"A masterpiece of epic proportions, Daredevil: Born Again delivers a powerful, unmissable take on the Man Without Fear," we said in our review. "Putting street-level heroics on the map in a way that promises to change the MCU forever, the show is sublime superhero storytelling on a whole new level."
All episodes of Daredevil: Born Again are now streaming on Disney+. As for season 2, that's set to premiere next year.