The site World of Superheroes relayed the news that Fox / New Regency is moving forward with a Daredevil reboot. The studio has hired writer David Scarpa (The Last Castle, The Day the Earth Stood Still). Rumors say Scarpa will be given latitude to reinterpret plot points and character nuance. No director or cast yet.
World of Superheroes goes on to report that Fox still holds the movie rights; they have not gone to Marvel Studios a la Ed Norton’s The Incredible Hulk. Like most Daredevil fans, I have much respect for Frank Miller’s early run on the book and Kevin Smith’s more recent run, which both contributed to writer-director Mark Steven Johnson’s 2003 Daredevil movie starring Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Colin Farrell.
I’m happy Daredevil is getting a reboot, but Johnson was similarly given latitude to reinterpret the character. He took his favorite parts of various runs and tried to tie them into one coherent plot. The results and reviews were mixed. A director’s cut was released with about twenty minutes of additional footage, restoring an entire subplot, but I prefer the theatrical release.
Daredevil is my favorite superhero, but I have to admit he doesn’t have the mass appeal of Spider-man, Captain America, or the Hulk. Despite this, Johnson’s movie grossed more than $102 million, a profit on its $75 million budget (about half of which Johnson received after he’d shot the movie, when Spider-man‘s success broke out, and which he used to enhance special effects).
I don’t see that Fox will make much more money with a reboot, but I’ll be in line. Frank Miller has said he’d like Jason Statham to play Daredevil. I would cast Mark Valley, but I hear he’s in the running for Captain America.