Mario Scardapane & Charlie Cox Discuss Reworking ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ into an Action-Packed Crime Thriller

The development of Daredevil: Born Again has been tough. The original writers, Matt Corman and Chris Ord, faced criticism for a slow pace and a lighter tone that didn’t match the darker feel of the Netflix series.

After the SAG-AFTRA strike, Marvel changed direction, replacing the original team. Punisher writer Dario Scardapane became the new showrunner, with Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead as directors.

The reboot now has a darker, more serialized tone similar to the Netflix version, mixing old footage with new scenes.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Dario Scardapane and Charlie Cox discussed the show’s original plans.

Charlie Cox talked about his surprise when Daredevil was canceled after season 3, leaving his planned season 4 arc unfinished. He thought he’d never play Daredevil again, but in 2020, Kevin Feige contacted him with plans to bring Daredevil into the MCU. This led to cameos in Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk, sparking fan curiosity about what’s next.

Cox was shocked when Daredevil: Born Again was announced, as he didn’t expect the character to return to TV. He even called Vincent D’Onofrio “crazy” when he predicted a comeback. Now that they’re both returning, Cox is excited, believing TV is the perfect place for the character with many more stories to tell.

I never thought it would be a TV show again. I just assumed that we’d done that, so maybe it would be something else. So I was shocked when they told me in 2022 that we were going to do a show, but I was also thrilled. It’s such a great medium for this character. There is so much story left to tell. So the more time we have to do that, the better!

The original version of Daredevil: Born Again was reportedly slow and boring, with the cast missing in key parts, and Charlie Cox not wearing his Daredevil suit until much later in the show.

After changes in the creative team and the Hollywood strikes, the show’s direction shifted. Showrunner Dario Scardapane explained that it was first planned as a legal drama, but they decided to turn it into an action-packed crime story set in New York. The goal was to keep the spirit of the original Netflix show while making it feel new.

It had been conceived as more of a legal procedural, and we really brought it back towards an action-based New York crime story. The real trick was to have the DNA of the old Netflix show, but then push it forward into something very new.

Charlie Cox says it’s all about the atmosphere.

The thing that we kept talking about was, this show has had the success that it’s had and has appealed to a very specific demographic because it’s one of the few superhero shows that is so dark and sinister at times.

Vincent and I both felt like if you lose that, you are at risk of losing the identity of our show. So we really pushed for the show to remain geared towards an older audience and not dumbed down to kind of capture a wider net of people. I think in some ways it’s even darker than a lot of the stuff we’ve done in the past.

Source

We can expect Daredevil: Born Again to be dark and intense, as teased many times before. Charlie Cox reveals that the show is so intense that there was debate over which footage was mild enough for the teaser, with a scene of Murdock and Fisk laughing together in a diner making the cut.

Showrunner Dario Scardapane explains that this moment wasn’t in the original script but came from the great chemistry between Cox and D’Onofrio. The two actors improvised, creating a moment of “messed-up levity” that became a key part of the story, showing the tension between their characters. Scardapane also mentions that this season will introduce bold new ideas not seen in the comics.

Daredevil: Born Again will premiere on Disney+ on March 4, 2025, with a nine-episode first season, as part of Phase Five of the MCU.

Got something to say? Let us know in the comments below!

Liked this article? Join the community on Reddit for the latest Marvel & DC news!