Marvel Studios will reportedly be abandoning two of Netflix's Daredevil stars for Disney+'s Born Again reboot.
Fans of Netflix's Daredevil have been elated to see Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock and Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk rejoin the MCU in Phase 4. The arch-rivals will soon reunite for the 18-episode Daredevil: Born Again, but it currently remains unclear how much of the original cast will be coming along for the reboot.
Although Cox and D'Onofrio have been confirmed to reprise their roles, the fate of Deborah Ann Woll's Karen Page and Elden Henson's Foggy Nelson remains unclear after serving as leads of the Netflix show and key companions to Murdock.
Ann Woll particularly has been open about her desire to return for Born Again, saying she would sign on "in a heartbeat." But at the time of her latest comments in October 2022, the Karen Page actress cast doubt on her return as she was clear that "[Marvel] haven’t told [her]" anything.
Two Daredevil Stars Reportedly Absent from Disney+ Reboot
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson will not be returning as Karen Page and Foggy Nelson in the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again Disney+ series after playing starring roles in the original Netflix show.
The two actors were reportedly absent from the roll call for Born Again following the start of production. It remains unclear at this time whether Marvel Studios will be recasting the pair or abandoning the characters altogether.
Henson's Foggy Nelson was the best friend and original legal partner to Cox's hero, having co-founded Nelson and Murdock together.
By the end of Netflix's Daredevil, Ann Woll's Karen Page had gone from the office manager at Nelson and Murdock to being named in their next legal endeavor, Nelson, Murdock, and Page.
The same report revealed Jon Bernthal will be returning as the Punisher from Daredevil Season 2 and his own spin-off series in The Punisher. The Walking Dead actor joins the cast of Charlie Cox's Daredevil, Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin, and more as filming gets underway in New York City.
Marvel Studios and Disney have yet to comment on The Hollywood Reporter's claims at this time.
Why Daredevil: Born Again Is Abandoning Karen & Foggy
At the end of Netflix's Daredevil, the trio of Matt Murdock, Foggy Nelson, and Karen Page were forming their own new law firm. With Born Again now said to be a fully-fledged legal drama, it's tough to imagine those characters not playing a role, provided the original series remains canon.
Daredevil: Born Again will shoot its 18-episode season in New York City from now until the end of 2023 ahead of a planned Spring 2024 premiere. So, just because Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson are absent from the roll call for now, plans could change over the year and see them called up to shoot some scenes.
Alternatively, Marvel Studios may, for unclear reasons, be opting to recast these characters. Although that scenario seems rather unlikely with Charlie Cox, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Jon Bernthal all returning, especially with the original actors seemingly still interested in coming back.
Perhaps Marvel Studios will be opting to omit Nelson and Page from Born Again in favor of giving Murdock some new legal companions. To some extent, this move would make sense in order to avoid having to continue plot threads from the Netflix series and risk creating continuity problems.
Then again, when Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced the Daredevil reboot at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, he touted the "18-episode first season." That specific terminology would seem to indicate a chance at a Season 2 renewal, which would have the opportunity to bring back even more of the Netflix cast.
Daredevil: Born Again is expected to debut on Disney+ in Spring 2024.
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