When Marvel Studios took back the rights to the characters that had previously appeared on the Defenders Netflix shows, hopes were high that we were entering a new age of Marvel entertainment on small screens, more closely connected to the MCU. And for a while, especially in the likes of WandaVision, Loki, She-Hulk and others, that seemed to be the case. But now one of the highest-profile projects, Daredevil: Born Again is on the verge of a big creative overhaul even as shooting had already been underway.
Born Again, which will see the full return of Charlie Cox as lawyer Matt Murdock, who moonlights as the titular superhero vigilante and Vincent D'Onofrio as the villainous Kingpin (after they both appeared in other MCU shows/movies), had been under the creative purview of writers Chris Ord and Matt Corman, with production kicking off in New York this past March before the strikes shut it down.
Now, though, after reviewing the footage shot so far, executives have decided to remove Ord and Corman, and the directors assigned to the show. According to The Hollywood Reporter, there was concern about the creative direction of the show, especially over the idea that Cox wouldn't be seen in his trademark costume until episode four.
Which is a little surprising, since surely that would have been in the scripts that were greenlit before the shoot could even start? Regardless, changes will be made before the show gears up again, which will have to wait until the actors' strike is resolved and the cast, which also includes Margarita Levieva, Sandrine Holt, Michael Gandolfini and Jon Bernthal, who is set to return as Frank Castle, AKA The Punisher.
And it's reportedly just the latest example of creative issues behind the scenes of Marvel series. For more on that, head to the Hollywood Reporter's site.
The biggest question now might be whether Born Again can meet its planned 2024 launch date on Disney+. Between the strike delay and this new move, we'd have to doubt it at this point.