The original version of Daredevil: Born Again is believed to have been completely separate from Netflix's Daredevil. However, following a creative overhaul, the show will feature the return of actors who originally weren't going to be in the Disney+ revival and a story which harkens back to the Man Without Fear's previous adventures.
Entertainment Weekly caught up with Charlie Cox (Matt Murdock/Daredevil), Vincent D'Onofrio (Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin), Jon Bernthal (Frank Castle/The Punisher), Deborah Ann Woll (Karen Page), and Elden Henson (Foggy Nelson) at D23 and unearthed some specifics about how Daredevil: Born Again will tie into its predecessor.
"The first day on set with Deborah, myself, and Elden was really special because the scene that was written was like a scene where we were reminiscing over old times and all the things we’ve done," Cox explained. "And it just so happened that we shot that very early on and we hadn’t seen each other for years."
"I mean, maybe not years, but we certainly hadn’t been together, the three of us, for a long time. So there was really, literally, no acting required. The conversation we were having in the green room was the same conversation we were having in the scene, pretty much."
"Deborah and I had a scene where we find an old box — am I allowed to say that? I think I can say that," the actor continued. "We had a scene where we were looking through a box and we find stuff from the past, and it was real stuff from the past."
"It was stuff from the old [show]. It was like a photo frame we used on a set eight years ago and we were looking at it together — well, I wasn’t looking at it. But we were reminiscing over it, and it was sweet. It was kind of a little bit of life imitating art."
D'Onofrio elaborated on those remarks by revealing that it's not just props which connect Daredevil: Born Again to Daredevil.
"There are storylines that reach back to the original series," he said. "Where our characters are coming from, where we are, and where we’re going, some of those threads lead back."
The Kingpin actor later said "a collision" is coming, with Cox adding that having "a shared character history" between the two series "gives [it] such texture."
"But at the same time, it can be an enemy, because that is the stuff that’s left behind you as you go forward and then you’re tied to it," he noted. "I felt like the writers and [showrunner] Dario [Scardapane] did a really amazing job at finding a way for us to have our history, to have our connections, but not dwelling on it so much that you are tied to it the whole time."
If you weren't a fan of Daredevil or haven't watched the series, don't worry, because Cox explained, "I’m so impressed with what the writers managed to do by allowing us to keep that history but also present it in a way where it isn’t alienating."
The Daredevil revival stars Charlie Cox, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jon Bernthal, Margarita Levieva, Michael Gandolfini, Genneya Walton, Arty Froushan, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Wilson Bethel, Jeremy Earl, and Ayelet Zurer. Dario Scardapane (The Punisher) serves as showrunner.
Daredevil: Born Again premieres on Disney+ next March.