Daredevil: Born Again star Vincent D'Onofrio addressed recent troubling reports about the MCU and his upcoming Disney+ series.
A new report revealed major troubles behind the scenes of Daredevil: Born Again amid a production shutdown thanks to the Hollywood strikes. Marvel Studios reportedly wasn't fond of the legal procedural direction of the 18-episode show and opted to fire head writers Chris Ord and Matt Corman.
The Disney+ Daredevil reboot will bring back Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock, Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin, and Jon Bernthal's Punisher. Originally set for a Spring 2024 premiere but delayed past that, Born Again has been left searching for new creatives to lead the way behind the camera.
Kingpin Actor Addresses Daredevil's Production Troubles
Back in April, Kingpin actor Vincent D'Onofrio shared an ecstatic post on X (formerly known as Twitter) following the start of production on Daredevil: Born Again in which he expressed how he was "very excited" about the show and praised the "incredible cast and crew:"
"So very excited about 'Daredevil: Born Again.' Such an incredible cast and crew. Just finished a big scene yesterday and it was so intense and wonderful working with two of the other cast members. Wow. We all have a lot to look forward to. We meaning, you too."
Now, an X user has reposted D'Onofrio's previous post, joking about how it has "aged poorly" after the recent news of Born Again being retooled under new writers due to the studio's dissatisfaction with the result so far.
Responding to the follower, D'Onofrio became the first Daredevil actor to break his silence on the matter, calling for fans to "have some trust" and suggesting the user may not "really know what's going [on]:"
"Unless you really know what's going there's a chance you could be wrong about this statement. We are going to bring forward the best series we can. One we can be proud of. Have some trust my friend, trust."
He added that all of his best projects over the years have "evolved constantly" across production, and while it may be reported on now by the media as "big news," the actor feels it is normal and "a constant" in Hollywood:"
"Every cool project I've been involved with has evolved constantly during pre-production, production, and post. It's just reported on these days as if it's big news. It's not. It's simple a bunch of creatives doing their best to get it right. It's a constant in this business. I wouldn't have it any other way. Frankly, I'd be worried if we were settling for less."
Is Disney+’s Daredevil in Trouble and Should Fans Worry?
Even before the actors' strike, Daredevil shut down production multiple times from March 8 to June 14, eventually calling it quits until the end of the writers' strike. It is now clearer than ever why Born Again was unable to keep filming, as it was likely going to require writing to continue through production to fix these issues.
While fans may be concerned to hear of such drastic changes to the Daredevil reboot, it will ultimately be for the greater good that Marvel Studios was able to uncover these issues before completing the whole historically long filming plan.
The description found in the recent reports certainly paints a picture of a very different Marvel Studios affair, being an 18-episode legal procedural drama with Charlie Cox not even suiting up as Daredevil until the fourth installment.
Of course, this unique approach may well have pleased some, but clearly, Marvel Studios believes it wouldn't land for most of the fanbase, thus spurring the decision to take Daredevil: Born Again in a new direction with fresh writers.
Now, as the actors' strike continues following the writers' deal, Marvel Studios will have some time to begin talking with new creative minds to lead the series and rewrite significant parts of the previous scripts.
Between the changes required and the actors' strike continuing, Born Again may not go back to filming for months to come, possibly even into next year. So, while a delay was already all but confirmed, the push may not be even further, possibly taking the premiere into late 2025.
Fortunately for fans, there will be more content with Cox's Daredevil and D'Onofrio's Kingpin to come before then, as the pair are expected to return in January 2024 in several episodes of Disney+'s Echo.
Daredevil: Born Again currently has no official release date.
